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Ike 
Drama  of  the  Ages 


BY 


ELLA  R.  SHAEFFER 


>    •      » .  • 


LOS  ANGELES 

OLIVE  LEAF  PRESS 

1917 


Copyright,   1917 

by 
Ella  R.  Shaeffer 


/^ 


•*:  *-•-•*  •    . 


CONTENTS 

Page 
Introduction 5 

I. 

NiMROD     7 

II. 

Abram   11 

III.  ^ 

Abram   30 

IV. 
The  Temple 50 

V. 

Nimrod's  Empire  Continued 57 

VI. 

The  Mighty  One 61 

VII. 
Columbia   73 


387595 


4  CONTENTS 

VIII. 

The  French  Revolution 79 

IX. 

An  Illustrious  Frenchman 85 

X. 

EVADNE     99 

XI. 

The  Restoration  119 

XII. 
Rumors  and  Tumults 138 

XIII. 
Passing  Gleams  149 

XIV. 
A  Friend 157 

XV. 
The  Glory  of  America ' 166 

XVI. 

The  Final  Contest 210 


INTRODUCTION 

The  Drama  of  the  Ages  embraces  more  than  four  thousand 
years  of  time.  It  brings  to  view  the  fact  of  one  continued 
conflict  throughout  all  the  Ages.  Two  opposing  forces  have 
been  in  fierce  combat.  The  subject  of  conquest  has  been  the 
subjection  of  the  human  mind  and  the  enslavement  of  both 
mind  and  body. 

In  protest  Omnipotent  power  has  been  ever  present,  some- 
times in  mighty  demonstration. 

The  conquest  which  has  been  waged  throughout  the  cen- 
turies reveals  two  sets  of  principles  which  are  absolute  in  op- 
position the  one  to  the  other. 

The  following  pages  are  for  the  most  part  authentic  his- 
tory, the  Bible  being  the  basis  in  which  the  course  of  despotic 
empire  from  its  beginning  is  briefly  set  down,  but  it  is  at  the 
greatest  crises  of  the  world's  history  that  the  clash  of  princi- 
ples is  in  the  most  spectacular  manner  made  manifest. 

This  is  not  a  history  of  dry  facts  and  events  so  much  as  of 
human  nature,  of  hearts  and  souls. 

And  if  it  shall  prove  helpful  to  someone  struggling  for  the 
way  of  true  happiness  and  well  being,  then  the  object  for 
which  it  is  written  shall  have  been  attained. 


THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 


CHAPTER  I. 

NIMROD 


It  was  in  the  days  of  Eber  that  the  curtain  first  rises  upon 
the  Drama  of  the  Ages ;  it  was  the  first  of  a  series  of  crises  in 
the  history  of  nations. 

As  yet  there  were  no  nations,  states,  nor  empires;  the 
world  was  an  infant;  the  land  of  Shinar  its  cradle — Let  not 
the  student  of  history  vainly  wonder  when  the  protoplasmic 
chits  began  first  to  wiggle ;  nor  how  long  it  would  take  them 
to  become  intelligent  enough  to  build  the  Sphinx  and  the 
Pyramids;  for  Egypt  had  not  yet  been  born;  there  were  no 
Greeks  nor  Romans;  no  foot  of  man  had  penetrated  the 
Steppe  country;  no  voice  of  man  had  broken  the  stillness  of 
China,  Hindostan  or  Korea ;  no  eye  of  man  had  looked  upon 
Mt.  Fuji  Yama;  no  human  lips  had  formed  the  word  Ameri- 
ca; there  were  no  Indians  anywhere;  the  Islands  of  the  sea 
awaited  the  coming  of  man. 

In  the  days  of  Eber  still  lived  the  fathers  of  our  race ;  from 
them  have  come  all  the  nations  and  people  that  are  on  the 
earth;  the  tenth  chapter  of  the  book  of  Genesis  gives  the 
origin  of  nations;  and  there  is  no  other. 


8  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

Eber  had  a  son  whom  he  named  "Peleg,  for  in  his  days 
was  the  earth  divided" — "And  all  the  earth  was  of  one  lan- 
guage and  of  one  speech,"  and  it  was  the  design  of  God  that 
the  people  should  scatter  out  and  fill  the  earth;  but  there 
were  some  who  said  let  us  build  us  a  city  and  a  tower ; — and 
let  us  make  us  a  name,  lest  the  people  be  scattered  abroad 
upon  the  face  of  the  earth. 

This  was  the  plan  the  meaning  of  which  was  nothing  short 
of  an  organized  attempt  to  establish  a  centralized  power, — 
a  one  man  power  making  one  man  absolute  monarch  of  all. 

This  plan  met  with  a  protest  in  demonstration  of  the  great 
power  of  God  by  which  was  the  origin  of  languages  and  of 
nations.  Nimrod  was  the  leader  of  this  conquest  for  wide- 
spread dominion  and  a  one  man  power.  To  this  movement 
Eber  was  an  able  opponent. 

Nimrod  taught  the  people  in  public  and  in  private  that  a 
monarchy  is  the  only  safe  and  natural  form  of  government; 
but  Eber  taught  that  monarchal  form  of  government  would 
spell  slavery,  degradation,  ignorance,  squalor,  superstition  and 
murder;  and  that  they  would  hold  their  liberty  and  their 
lands  by  the  slippery  tenure  .of  the  will  of  the  prince.  He 
said  that  liberty  is  the  gift  of  God,  and  that  all  are  the  com- 
mon children  of  the  Creator;  that  the  earth  with  all  its 
wealth  and  beauty  is  free  to  all;  that  the  kind  of  rule  pro- 
posed by  Nimrod  is  contrary  to  the  divine  order,  and  that 
should  it  prevail,  their  posterity  would  read  the  history  of  the 
world  written  in  the  blood  of  countless  millions. 

To  Nimrod  he  said, — Makest  thou  thyself  like  the  "Most 
High."  Wilt  thou  ascend  above  the  stars  of  God? — was  it 
thou  that  caused  the  light  to  shine  when  darkness  was  upon 


NIMROD  9 

the  face  of  the  deep?  Canst  thou  bind  the  sweet  influences 
of  the  Pleiades   or  loose  the  bands  of  Orion? 

Nimrod  defiantly  replied — I  know  not  God,  and  I  care  not 
what  thou  sayest. 

The  words  of  Eber  awakened  acclamations  of  deep  enthu- 
siasm. Caesar  was  ambitious.  Nimrod  was  ambitious.  He 
said  in  an  aside  to  his  companions,  this  man  Eber  studies 
much,  he  sees  afar,  he  is  dangerous ;  we  must  represent  him 
to  the  people  as  being  opposed  to  law  and  order,  inciting 
anarchy.    We  must  get  him  out  of  the  way. 

They  proceeded  to  build  the  tower. 

Then  it  was  that  God  manifested  himself  in  protest  on  the 
side  of  Eber;  and  while  others  began  to  speak  in  different 
languages,  Eber  retained  the  original  language ; — that  ancient 
classic  language  which  surpasses  all  others  in  beauty  of  image- 
ry and  loftiness  of  thought. 

Nimrod  was  baffled,  but  did  not  relinquish  his  bold  design ; 
he  defiled  the  "Most  High."  Thus,— "A  mighty  hunter 
before  the  Lord,"  not  merely  a  hunter  of  wild  beasts,  but 
more  a  pursuer  and  crusher  of  men;  and  therefore  a  more 
exact  translation  of  the  original  expression  reads,  "He  was 
an  overbearing  tyrant  in  Jehovah's  sight." 

That  this  was  an  organized  attempt  to  crush  out  the 
knowledge  of  God  in  the  earth  is  revealed  by  the  inspired 
words  of  the  Apostle  Paul,  "God  that  made  the  world  and 
all  things  therein — and  hath  made  of  one  blood  all  nations  of 
men  for  to  dwell  on  all  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  hath  de- 
termined the  times  before  appointed,  and  the  bounds  of  their 
habitation.  That  they  should  seek  the  Lord,  if  haply  they 
might  feel  after  him,  and  find  him;  though  he  be  not  far 
from  every  one  of  us." 


lo  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

•The  party  of  Nimrod  now  determined  to  make  their  de- 
sign effective  by  establishing  a  form  of  religious  belief  with 
impressive  ceremony,  and  a  dazzling  pageantry. 


II 


CHAPTER  II. 


ABRAM 


The  central  figure  in  the  history  of  humanity  was  the 
man  Abram:  in  him  have  transpired  the  greatest  events  of 
human  history;  what  he  was  and  what  he  did — not  \vhat  he 
said — made  him  great. 

He  stood  with  the  great  men  of  his  day  a  leader  in  the 
affairs  of  men;  and  he  was  very  rich,  not  in  lands,  but  in 
cattle,  in  silver  and  in  gold ;  and  of  his  household  there  were 
three  hundred  and  eighteen  educated  servants.  One  time  in 
command  of  an  army,  "He  brought  back  all  the  goods — and 
the  women  also,  and  the  people."  These  had  been  taken 
captive  by  a  despotic  king. 

Abram  upheld  civil  government  as  necessary  for  the  good 
of  all;  but  in  matters  of  religious  faith, — ^he  acknowledged 
the  ''Most  High"  as  the  one  alone  to  whom  we  must  give 
an  account. 

Abram  seems  to  have  been  in  close  touch  with  the  unseen 
world,  for  he  entertained  visitors  from  the  realms  of  Sinless 
Glory:  the  Lord  came  and  talked  with  Abram,  and  made 
known  to  him  the  eternal  purpose  of  God: — the  glorious 
destiny  of  the  earth  and  its  inhabitants, — the  Creator  took 
Abram  into  covenant  relations  with  himself  by  a  symbolism, 
the  most  sacred  in  use  amongst  men. 

He  gave  to  Abram  a  son  typical  of  the  only  begotten  Son 


12  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

of  God, — the  Saviour  of  the  world ;  and  "Abram  was  called 
the  friend  of  God." 

Abram  was  the  founder  of  the  Hebrew  nation, — a  nation 
that  lives  today  in  every  country  of  the  world,  although  for 
many  centuries  without  a  country  of  its  own. 

From  "Eber"  comes  the  name  "Hebrew,"  of  whom  Abram 
is  the  eighth  in  the  line  of  descent.  It  is  said  that  Eber  was 
the  founder  of  the  Hebrew  language. 

The  home  of  Abram  was  in  Ur  of  the  Chaldees;  the  home 
of  Sarai  was  in  the  same  city;  the  two  families  belonged  to 
the  aristocracy ;  Abram  and  Sarai  were  betrothed.  The  great 
beauty  of  Sarai  was  reported  to  the  king  and  she  was  taken, 
— no  one  knew  where ;  the  families  of  Abram  and  Sarai  were 
overwhelmed  with  grief,  Abram's  grief  was  indescribable. 
He  arose  with  the  determination  to  find  her  and  bring  her 
again  to  her  home.  He  immediately  set  forth  with  com- 
missioners. 

The  sun  had  risen  high  in  the  heavens  when  he  entered  the 
gates  of  Akkad. 

Through  shady  aisles  he  walked,  and  up  and  down  broad 
slopes  where  the  palm  plumes  toss.  The  streets  were  paved 
with  polished  stone,  and  lined  on  either  side  with  lofty  pal- 
aces. As  he  advanced  more  into  the  city's  center,  the  crowds 
increased.  The  pressing  throngs  of  people  seemed  more  or 
less  bent  on  pleasure,  to  judge  from  their  animated  conver- 
sation and  frequent  bursts  of  laughter.  The  men  for  the 
most  part  were  dressed  like  Abram — a  costume  worn  by  the 
ancient  Greeks — it  consisted  of  a  white  linen  tunic,  and 
loose  upper  vest,  both  garments  being  kept  in  place  by  a 
belt  of  silver.     From  this  belt  suspended  a  sheathed  dagger. 


ABRAM  13 

Though  there  were  some  whose  garments  were  of  soft  silk 
with  belts  of  gold,  who  carried  daggers  in  sheaths  that  were 
h'terally  encrusted  with  jewels. 

There  were  richly  ornamented  chariots  drawn  by  spirited 
horses  and  driven  by  personages  in  gorgeous  apparel.  There 
were  fruit  sellers, — flower  girls — and  there  were  little  open 
square  carts  to  which  mules  wearing  collars  of  bells  were 
harnessed, — these  vehicles  bore  the  names  of  traders  and 
dealers  in  all  sorts  of  provisions. 

The  streets  were  full  of  elegant  loungers  of  both  sexes. 
The  women  were  especially  noticeable  for  their  lazy  grace 
of  manner — they  glided  to  and  fro  with  an  indolent  floating 
ease  that  was  bewitching,  the  more  so,  as  many  of  them  were 
endowed  with  natural  beauty,  a  beauty  greatly  enhanced  by 
the  artistic  simplicity  of  dress, — this  was  composed  of  a 
straight  clinging  gown,  slightly  gathered  at  the  throat  and 
bound  at  the  waist  with  a  girdle.  Their  arms  were  bare  as 
were  those  of  the  men.  The  women  wore  long  white  veils 
which  they  draped  about  them  at  their  pleasure. 

Soon  a  loud  blast  of  a  silver-toned  trumpet  split  the  air 
followed  by  a  storm  roar  of  acclamations.  And  now  vast 
crowds  of  people  pressed  impetuously  in  one  direction.  Abram 
plunged  into  the  shouting  onrushing  throng,  and  was  borne 
with  it  swiftly  down  a  broad  avenue,  lined  with  stately 
palm  trees,  and  decked  with  flags  and  streamers,  to  the  mar- 
gin of  a  noble  river.  A  splendid  marble  embankment  barred 
it  on  both  sides, — and  here  under  awnings  of  every  color 
and  design,  an  enormous  multitude  was  assembled. 

The  attention  of  all  appeared  to  be  centered  in  one  direc- 
tion,— presently  there  was  seen  the  slow  approach  of  a  fan- 


14  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

tastic  vessel,  that  with  great  prow  and  scarlet  sails,  moving 
gently  in  the  breeze,  was  gliding  leisurely  yet  majestically 
over  the  azure  of  the  smooth  water.  Huge  oars  like  golden 
fins  projected  from  the  sides  and  dipped  every  now  and  then, 
wielded  by  the  hands  of  unseen  rowers. 

Nearer  and  nearer  it  came — brighter  and  brighter  it 
glowed, — the  sound  of  stringed  music,  solemn  and  sweet 
rippled  enchantingly  over  the  placid  river — nearer,  and  now 
the  vessel  slid  round  with  a  graceful  sweep  and  courtesied 
forward, — creamy  hangings  falling  in  rich  folds  draped  it, 
gold  cords  looped  the  sails — on  the  deck  a  band  of  young  girls 
dressed  in  white,  and  wreathed  with  flowers  knelt,  playing 
softly  on  stringed  instruments;  and  there  were  cupid  like 
young  boys,  half  nude,  grouped  in  reposeful  attitudes  along- 
side of  the  edge  of  the  prow  holding  garlands  of  flowers 
reaching  to  the  surface  of  the  water  beneath. 

The  central  figure  of  this  strange  vessel  was  a  woman 
wonderfully  beautiful,  clothed  in  gold  attire,  and  girdled 
with  gems,  she  stood  leaning  against  the  middle  mast  of  the 
vessel  in  an  indolent  manner,  her  dark  eyes  seemed  to  fall 
lazily  upon  the  people  whose  roar  of  rapture  and  admiration 
sounded  like  the  breaking  of  billows. 

Presently  she  slowly  extended  one  hand  and  arm  and 
made  an  imperious  gesture  to  command  silence.  Instantly 
a  profound  silence  ensued.  Lifting  a  long  slender  wand, 
she  described  three  circles  in  the  air  with  an  even  majestic 
motion. 

Abram  noticed  as  she  did  this,  her  eyes  rested  upon  him; 
and  turning  he  realized  that  he  was  the  only  unkneeling 
soul  in  that  abject  multitude. 


ABRAM  15 

The  vessel  now  began  to  move  onward,  and  soon  it  van- 
ished. Suddenly  a  dozen  hands  were  laid  roughly  on  him, 
loud  angry  voices  shouted  on  all  sides,  "A  traitor,"  "A  spy," 
"An  infidel,"  "into  the' water  with  him." — "He  denies  the 
gods."  With  a  few  agile  movements  he  wrenched  himself 
from  their  grasp,  and  stood  like  a  stag  at  bay — "What  have 
I  done? — speak — is  it  the  fashion  of  this  city  to  condemn  a 
man  unheard?"     No  one  answered  this  appeal. 

The  sound  of  musical  instruments  now  directed  the  atten- 
tion of  his  assailants  to  a  youth  arrayed  in  crimson,  and 
carrying  a  small  golden  harp;  as  he  approached,  the  people 
parted  right  and  left,  thus  clearing  the  way  for  another 
personage  who  followed  him,  a  graceful,  Adonis-like 
personage  in  glittering  white  apparel,  with  collar  of  gold  set 
with  diamonds,  and  jeweled  sheath,  armlet  and  belt,  and 
wearing  a  myrtle  wreath  on  his  abundant  dark  hair. 

The  populace  now  forgot  the  cause  of  their  disturbance 
and  greeted  the  personage  with,  "Hail,"  "All  Hail." 
"Zamula."  The  newcomer  thus  greeted  bowed  right  and 
left — "What  disturbance  is  here?"  he  demanded, — "A  trait- 
or," a  most  insolent  knave,  he  refuses  homage  to  the  High 
Priestess." 

Zamula  now  saw  Abram.     There  was  a  brief  pause  in 
which  the  two  young  men  surveyed  each  other. 
"Who  art  thou?"  demanded  the  Laureate. 

"I  am  a  stranger  from  Ur  of  the  Chaldees,  my  name  is 
Abram." 

"A  stranger  from  Ur,  then  I  insure  thy  safety,  and  bid 
thee  welcome:  thy  distinguished  appearance  proclaims  thee 
guest  of  the  king's  laureate." 


i6  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

Now,  turning  he  said  to  the  people,  Know  you  not  that 
strangers  are  exempt  from  worship? 

"O,  you  hasty  misjudging  Akkadians." 

To  Abram  he  said :  "You,  my  dear  sir,  will  doubtless  be 
glad  to  rest  and  recover  from  the  ungentle  treatment  of  my 
countrymen," — ^As  he  said  this  he  took  Abram  by  the  arm 
and  passed  on  through  the  ranks  nodding  graciously  here 
and  there  with  the  air  of  a  monarch  who  occasionally  bows 
to  some  of  his  poorest  subjects. 

Abram  began  to  express  thanks  for  the  timely  rescue  he 
had  received-but  Zamula  waived  all  such  acknowledgements. 
They  passed  through  broad  avenues  lined  with  magnificent. 
palms,  and  soon  came  to  the  palace-like  residence  of  Zamula. 
It  was  a  dome-shaped  building  surrounded  by  fluted  colon- 
nades, and  fronted  by  a  spacious  court,  paved  with  mosaics, 
where  flower-bordered  fountains  dashed  up  showers  of  re- 
freshing spray. 

Into  this  court  and  across  it  he  led  his  guest.  Ascending 
a  wide  flight  of  steps  they  entered  a  large  open  hall,  where 
the  light  poured  in  through  rose  color  and  pale  blue  glass 
giving  the  effect  of  mingled  moonlight  and  sunset. 

Several  beautiful  girls  were  here  reclining  on  richly  cov- 
ered cushions;  some  were  amusing  themselves  with  tame 
birds,  some  were  weaving  garlands  of  myrtle  leaves.  One 
was  holding  a  golden  harp,  as  though  she  were  considering 
what  chords  she  should  next  awaken  from  its  responsive 
strings. 

As  Zamula  and  his  guest  appeared,  all  arose  and  stood 
silently  with  bowed  heads  and  folded  hands.  As  Zamula  led 
his  guest  past  these  fairy-like  forms,  he  paused  at  the  side 


ABRAM  17 

of  the  girl  with  the  harp,  "Ah,  Sarai," — (Abram  and  Sarai 
had  exchanged  glances  of  glad  but  secret  recognition  for 
there  was  quick  understanding  between  them)  "Ah,  Sarai," 
Sweet  virtue,  see  I  have  brought  with  me  a  stranger, — I 
must  have  thee  warble  for  his  pleasure  some  of  my  songs 
thou  hast  learned  to  render  with  such  matchless  tenderness. 
"Come,"  said  he  to  Abram,  "we  shall  pass  the  afternoon 
together, — "Sarai,  you  will  bring  us  fruit  and  wine,"  bid 
my  servant  prepare  the  rose  chamber  for  my  guest,  Myra 
and  Athazel  will  wait  upon  him  there."  Each  girl  touched 
her  head  with  her  hand  in  token  of  obedience. 

The  poet  escorted  his  visitor  to  the  further  end  of  the 
hall,  there  drawing  aside  curtains  of  azure  silk,  he  ushered 
him  into  a  splendid  apartment  opening  out  upon  a  charming 
terrace  and  garden  beyond, — he  bade  Abram  be  seated. 
Abram  sank  indolently  into  a  low  richly  cushioned  chair 
and  surveyed  with  admiration  the  elegant  figure  of  his  host 
who  throwing  himself  on  a  couch  covered  with  leopard  skins 
looked  at  his  guest  with  a  smile  of  approval. 

"It  is  a  fit  place  where  the  divine  muse  may  dwell," — nev- 
ertheless, air,  light  and  flowers  not  lacking,  methinks  I 
could  subsist  were  I  deprived  of  all  other  things." 

Abram  sat  silent  and  looked  about  him,  the  domed  ceiling 
was  wreathed  with  carved  clusters  of  grapes  and  pomegran- 
ates, the  walls  were  frescoed  with  glowing  scenes  of  love 
and  song  tournament.  The  floor  was  inlaid  with  variegated 
mosaics  and  strewn  with  the  soft,  dark,  furry  skins  of  wild 
animals.  Grand  busts  stood  on  pedestals  or  projecting 
brackets.     There  were  velvet  draped  corners  from  which 


i8  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

gleamed  superb  statuary.  There  were  book  cases  overflowing 
with  quaint  volumes. 

Abram  looking  into  the  face  of  his  host  said,  "Zamula, 
what  are  the  laws  by  which  this  city  is  governed?  What 
are  the  common  laws  of  worship?"  It  seems  that  I  commit- 
ted an  offence  this  morning  that  would  have  cost  me  my  life 
but  for  thy  timely  deliverance? 

''The  common  laws  of  worship  are  the  common  laws  of 
custom,"  he  replied — ''nothing  more  and  nothing  less." 

"We  have  an  elected  divinity — ^we  accept  a  certain  given 
definition  of  this  suppositious  divinity,  accompanied  with  a 
suitable  code  of  morals  and  maxims." 

When  people  are  persuaded  to  pay  homage  to  an  elected 
divinity  they  are  but  offering  homage  to  an  image  of  self, 
placed  before  them  in  a  deified  or  heroic  form.  This  satisfies 
the  idolatrous  cravings  of  human  nature. 

Of  course  we  in  unison  with  all  nations,  worship  the 
sun, — ^sun-worship  is  the  one  leading  principle  in  all  nations, 
— in  that  our  faith  is  universal.  That  refulgent  Orb  that 
gladdens  and  illumines  the  earth,  and  visibly  controls  the 
seasons  is  the  acknowledged  divinity  in  all  nations. 

However,  the  well  instructed  know  that  the  sun  is  no 
divinity  at  all,  but  simply  a  huge  planet,  a  dense  body  sur- 
rounded by  a  luminous  flame-darting  atmosphere,  but  only 
one  of  many  similar  Orbs  moving  in  strict  obedience  to 
fixed  mathematical  laws.  They  are  neither  self-acting  nor 
omnipresent,  nevertheless  this  knowledge  is  wisely  kept  back 
as  much  as  possible  from  the  populace,  for  were  science  to 
unveil  her  marvels  too  openly, — ^were  education  and  enlight- 
enment dispensed  freely  to  the  masses  of  people,  the  result 


ABRAM  .19 

would  be,  first,  Atheism,  next  Republicanism,  and  finally 
anarchy  and  ruin. 

To  avert  these  evils  and  for  the  welfare  of  the  country 
and  the  people  we  hold  fast  to  a  stated  form  of  religious 
belief.  There  is  not  one  in  the  "Inner  circle"  but  knows 
that  it  is  absolutely  false;  yet  a  false  religion, — it  is  argued 
by  those  cunning  crafty  men, — is  better  for  the  masses;  for 
they  are  closely  allied  to  brutes, — if  the  moral  sense  cease 
to  restrain,  they  give  as  much  rein  to  their  appetites  and 
passions  as  hyenas  and  tigers,  and  in  some  natures  the  moral 
sense  is  only  kept  alive  by  fear, — fear  of  offending  some 
invisible  force  that  pervades  the  universe: — a  cruel,  despotic 
power  whose  terrible  attribute  is  destructive  and  not  creative 
power. 

To  propitiate  and  pacify  an  unseen  Destroyer  is  the  aim 
of  all  religions : — It  is  for  this  reason  that  human  sacrifice  is 
of  frequent  occurrence ;  to  me  it  is  a  shuddering  horror  that 
could  well  be  dispensed  with. 

"Since  the  religion  of  which  you  speak" — said  Abram,  "is 
merely  a  form  of  self-worship,  why  cannot  all  people  worship 
themselves  without  consecrated  altars  and  priestly  service?" 

"My  friend  without  altars  and  priests  no  monarchy  can 
stand;  a  monarchy  can  be  held  up  only  by  an  enforced  re- 
ligion. Greed  is  the  God  of  kings  and  priests.  It  is  by 
cunning  and  craft  that  the  people  are  held  in  subjection. 
They  say  that  a  Supreme  Deity  whose  character  comprehends 
supernatural  virtues  is  an  impossibility; — ^but  who  knows, — 
there  have  been  many  disturbances  of  late, — the  teaching  of 
the  philosophers  has  aroused  a  certain  discontent, — and  there 


20  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

are  those  who  are  weary  of  perpetual  sacrifice  and  the  shed- 
ding of  innocent  blood. 

Moreover  there  is  a  prophet  who  teaches  that  God  exists, 
and  with  infinite  love  is  seeking  to  redeem  mankind.  This 
prophet  and  many  wise  men  because  of  their  boldness  in 
proclaiming  their  knowledge  broadcast,  are  now  languishing 
in  prison. 

"Most  illustrious  Zamula,"  does  not  the  fact  that  these 
luminous  bodies  in  the  heavens,  move  according  to  law,  prove 
an  intelligence  above  all.  Do  not  the  heavens  proclaim  the 
truth,  the  truth  that  God  is  there  ruling  above  all — a  Su- 
preme Being? 

"I  know  not.  No  one  knows — God  is  an  unproved 
identity,  for  my  part  I  am  too  honest  to  worship  a  supposi- 
titious divinity.    The  scientists  prove  that  there  is  no  God." 

Abram  replied:  "God  has  identified  himself.  He  has 
proved  His  identity.  God  has  written  his  existence  in 
nature  and  his  law  in  the  heart  of  man."  "He  has  revealed 
himself  in  human  history." 

"Art  thou  acquainted  with  God?"  Zamula  asked — ^Abram 
replied:  "That  which  is  true  can  be  known  to  a  certainty, 
but  a  mere  supposition  can  never  be  known  as  the  truth,  for 
the  simple  reason  that  it  is  not  the  truth." 

Jehovah  was  known  as  King, — no  one  thought  of  taking 
the  title,  "King"  until  the  mighty  Nimrod  became  bold  and 
arrogant  enough  to  call  himself  king — but  of  whom  is  he 
king? — A  groveling,  fawning,  abject  people,  who  chose  not 
to  remember  the  one  only  King  and  when  they  became  cor- 
rupt and  could  no  longer  govern  themselves,  it  pleased  them 
to  set  up  a  man  after  their  own  fashion,  to  rule  over  them. 


ABRAM  21 

But  a  glorious  Era  is  approaching  when  the  free  thinking 
and  free  speaking  people  of  all  nations  will  govern  themselves 
rejoicing  in  the  sovereignty  of  universal  liberty." 

"I  would  it  were  here  now,'  'said  Zamula.  At  that  mo- 
ment Sarai  came  carrying  a  salver  on  which  were  placed  a 
flagon,  two  jeweled  cups,  and  a  basket  of  fruit.  She  ap- 
proached Abram  first,  who  surveyed  her  with  great  admira- 
tion and  interest, — how  becoming  was  the  primrose  gown 
she  wore,  and  as  he  poured  out  some  wine  into  one  of  those 
glittering  cups  he  noticed  an  added  charm  to  her  beauty, — 
the  charm  of  matured  character  developed  by  the  recent 
experience  through  which  she  had  passed. — Zamula  glancing 
at  her  smilingly  inquired,  "What  news,  Sarai,  fairest  of 
the  fair?"  "Ill  news,  and  evil  rumors  there  are  enough. 
I  am  much  pained,  as  I  hear  the  common  talk  of  sad  and 
suffering  men ;  there  are  mobs  and  riots  in  the  market  place, 
since  the  early  morning, — moreover  Nimrod  is  filled  with 
wrath  and  driveth  furiously,  riding  in  his  glittering  chariot, 
he  drives  two  jet  chargers  regardless  of  anything  in  his  way, 
men,  women  and  children  are  ruthlessly  trampled  under 
foot." 

"Enough.  Hold  thy  peace,"  Zamula  interrupted;  "thou 
art  much  too  fair  for  a  messenger  of  woe." 

"Pardon,  Sir  Poet;  thou  shouldst  never  hear  of  the 
strife  and  commotion  amongst  the  coarser  tribes  of  men, — 
thy  path  should  be  all  woven  sunbeams  among  roses."  And 
she  touched  her  head  with  her  hand  and  smilingly  went  out, 
— the  two  young  men  watched  her  as  she  disappeared. 

"She  is  a  marvel  of  virtuous  wisdom,"  said  Zamula.  I  am 
sometimes  amazed  at  the  loftiness  of  speech  with  which  she 
converses. 


22  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

"Come,"  taking  Abram  by  the  arm — "we  will  walk  in  the 
garden, — the  hour  of  sunset  approaches,  we  will  go  to  the 
green  slope  and  behold  the  pomp  and  glory  with  which  he 
goes  down ;  and  thou  shalt  tell  me  of  God,  for  thou  speakest 
as  if  thou  art  one  akin  to  him." 

Together  they  walked  across  the  terrace  out  into  the  glo- 
rious garden,  through  winding  paths  of  alternate  light  and 
shade.  Here  and  there  were  the  distant  glimmer  of  tossing 
fountains.  They  ascended  the  hillock, — there  Zamula  threw 
himself  gracefully  down  on  the  green  turf  pulling  his  friend 
down  by  his  side. 

Silently  they  gazed  upon  the  resplendent  panorama  before 
them.  The  sun  appeared  to  rest  upon  a  sea  of  liquid  gold 
with  glistening  rose  color  and  blue  fringed  billows.  The  sky 
was  of  a  dense  yet  misty  blue;  beaming  shafts  of  light  shot 
upward;  far  away  in  the  distance  floated  white  and  blue 
clouds  that  looked  like  little  fairy  ships;  below  lay  the  City 
of  Akkad,  with  its  white  domes,  towers,  and  pinnacled  pal- 
aces,  on  which  the  glory  of  the  departed  sun  rested ;  through 
the  misty  haze  it  looked  like  a  mirage  rising  on  the  border 
of  a  burning  desert. 

Then  Zamula  spoke:  "I  tell  you,  brother  man,  when 
I  look  upon  the  splendor  of  the  heavens,  I  think,  what  a 
creature  is  man:  And  in  my  profoundest  meditations,  it 
seems  to  me,  God  exists,  a  vast,  all  glorious  Being,  who,  in 
infinite  wisdom  controls  and  guides  creation  to  some  majestic 
end."  This  he  said  as  he  turned  his  soul  hunger  inquiring 
eyes  upon  Abram. 

"True,  my  friend,  God  Is,  he  exists,  the  very  term,  creat- 
ure, implies  the  Creator;  and  as  certainly  as  an  intelligent 


ABRAM  23 

creature  is,  he  owes  to  the  Creator  all  that  he  is,  and  in 
recognition  of  this  fact,  he  owes  to  the  Creator  honor  and 
devotion  supreme;  this  in  turn  and  the  nature  of  things 
implies  subjection  and  obedience  on  the  part  of  the  creature; 
and  this  is  the  principle  of  government." 

Government  exists  in  the  very  nature  of  the  existence  of 
intelligent  creatures ;  each  one  owes  all  to  the  Creator.  Ac- 
cordingly the  first  principle  of  government  is,  "Thou  shalt 
love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  with  all  thy  soul, 
and  with  all  thy  mind,  and  with  all  thy  strength."  This  is 
the  inherent  principle  of  government,  eternally  true ;  and  no 
expansion,  no  multiplication  of  intelligent  creatures  can  ever 
alter  its  scope  or  meaning;  this  distinguishes  individuality 
as  an  eternal  principle. 

However,  just  as  soon  as  a  second  intelligent  creature 
exists  there  is  an  additional  relationship;  there  is  now  not 
only  the  primary  and  original  relationship  of  each  to  the 
Creator,  but  also  an  additional  and  secondary  relationship 
of  each  to  the  other. 

This  is  the  second  principle  of  government,  and  it  is  one 
of  absolute  equality;  it  is  expressed  in  the  second  of  all  com- 
mandments, "Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself." 

Each  himself  alone  in  his  own  individuality  is  completely 
subject  and  devoted  first  of  all  to  the  Creator,  because  to 
him  he  owes  all.  And  in  this  subjection  and  devotion  to  the 
Creator  first  of  all,  each  honors  every  other  intelligent  creat- 
ure as  his  equal ;  as  equally  with  himself  occupying  his  place 
in  the  design  of  the  Creator,  and  responsible  individually 
and  only  to  the  Creator  for  the  fulfillment  of  that  design. 


24  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

The  second  eternal  truth  equally  with  the  first  distinguish- 
es individuality  as  an  eternal  principle. 

It  is  original  government,  it  is  also  ultimate  government, 
it  is  simply  self-government  in  reason  and  in  God. 

Herein  is  revealed  on  the  part  of  the  supreme,  the  true 
Governor — Government  with  the  consent  of  the  governed." 

Zamula  appeared  perplexed, — presently  looking  up,  he 
said,  "I  know  not  of  any  such  government  as  that." 

"It  depends  upon  the  free  choice  of  the  individual,"  said 
Abram. 

At  that  moment  a  servitor  approached  and  handed  Zamula 
a  scroll,  who  unrolled  it,  and  as  he  read  it  a  troubled  expres- 
sion came  into  his  face,  then  without  saying  anything  he  gave 
it  to  Abram  who  read  it.    Thus : 

Istar,  High  Priestess  of  the  Sun, 

To  Zamula,  The  King's  Lauerate: 

I  desire  thy  presence  at  the  banquet  tonight.   Bring 

thy  guest  with  thee,  that  I  may  accord  him  a  welcome. 

Istar. 

"What  does  it  mean,"  inquired  Abram  greatly  perplexed. 

"It  means  that  we  are  summoned  to  one  of  Istar's  mid- 
night banquets,  thou  as  well  as  I.  It  is  an  honor  that  falls 
to  few,  a  mandate  that  none  dare  disobey." 

"Tell  me  Zamula,  how  could  she  know  that  I  am  a  guest 
of  thine? 

"How  could  she  know?" — in  the  way  that  she  knows  all 
the  secrets  of  the  realm.  Istar  has  her  secret  commissioners 
everywhere  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  City, 
who  report  to  her  each  circumstance  that  happens;  and 
doubtless  we  were  followed  home,  tracked  step  by  step  as  we 


\ 


ABRAM  2$ 

walked  together,  by  one  of  her  stealthy  footed  servitors. 
In  this  there  would  be  nothing  unusual. 

"If  the  City  thus  lies  under  the  circumspection  of  a  wom- 
an, how  can  there  be  any  freedom?"  cried  Abram. 

*'My  noble  friend."  said  Zamula, — "Freedom" — 'tis  a 
lielusive  word,  it  embodies  a  vain  idea:  there  is  no  freedom 
fin  life ;  all  of  us  are  bound  in  cords  or  restricted  in  one  way 
or  another;  he  who  deems  himself  politically  free  is  a  slave 
to  the  multitude  and  to  his  own  ambition;  while  he  who 
shakes  himself  loose  from  custom  and  creed  is  still  the  slave 
of  Desire,  mastered  by  his  appetites  and  passions.  I  tell  you 
there  is  no  freedom  anywhere." 

Zamula  turned  and  said  to  the  waiting  page,  "Tell  thy 
'mistress  we  obey  her  mandate." 

Abram  continued: — "God  has  created  all  intelligences 
absolutely  free.  Freedom  of  choice  is  essential  to  morals. 
To  have  man  unable  to  choose  would  have  been  to  make  him 
incapable  of  freedom.  God  made  all  intelligences  free  to 
choose,  and  he  ever  respects  that  of  which  he  is  the  Creator, 
— freedom  of  choice;  and  when,  in  the  exercise  of  this  free- 
dom of  choice,  he  chooses  that  his  existence,  with  its  conse- 
quent faculties  and  powers  shall  be  spent  strictly  subject  to 
the  will  and  within  the  design  of  the  Creator — this  choice, 
on  the  part  of  God,  the  Supreme  and  true  Governor,  reveals 
the  principle  of  the  government  with  the  consent  of  the 
governed.  Thus  the  divine  government  as  it  relates  to  both 
the  Governor  and  the  governed,  the  creator  and  the  creature, 
is  demonstrated  as  well  as  revealed  to  be  a  government  of 
perfect  freedom." 

"Well,  cried  Zamula.    "In  the  presence  of  these  principles, 


26  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

how  came  the  adverse  and  diverse  governments  that  dominate 
the  earth?" 

"Consider.  If  from  the  moment  existence  was  given  to 
the  first  creature,  unto  the  present  hour  every  intelligent 
being  had  loved  God  Supremely  and  his  neighbor  as  himself, 
had  freely  chosen  to  exercise  all  his  faculties  and  powers 
according  to  the  will  and  within  the  purpose  of  God,  there 
would  have  been  no  sin,  no  evil  in  the  universe;  and  then  if 
at  this  moment  an  intelligence  were  to  choose  to  exercise 
his  faculties  and  powers,  contrary  to  the  will  of  God,  and 
outside  the  purpose  should  choose  not  to  love  God  with  all 
his  heart,  soul,  mind  and  strength, — that  would  be  a  new 
and  strange  thing  in  the  universe,  it  would  introduce  some- 
thing that  was  not  there  before;  and  that  thing  would  be 
"Sin."  In  this  way  evil  did  enter." 

"Come,"  said  Zamula.  "Let  us  to  supper,  the  hour  grows 
late,  and  thou  shalt  tell  me,  who,  was  he  that  made  that  bad 
choice,  and  thus  plunged  the  whole  world  in  this  night  of 
woe,  and  may  we  hope  for  the  dawning  of  a  better  day — for 
there  are  times  in  spite  of  all  my  fame  and  the  sweetness  of 
existence,  I  weary  of  earth's  days  and  nights,  and  find  them 
far  too  brief  and  mean  to  satisfy  my  longings." 

Abram  looked  at  him  with  feelings  of  brotherly  love  and 
tenderness,  and  said,  "Yes  we  may  hope  for  a  full  realization 
of  our  noblest  aspirations."  And  together  they  ascended  the 
steps  of  the  stately  marble  terrace  and  passed  slowly  across  it, 
re-entering  the  palace  where  the  sound  of  a  distant  harp  alone 
penetrated  the  perfumed  stillness;  "It  must  be  Sarai  who  is 
playing,"  thought  Abram, — and  what  strange  and  plaintive 
chords  she  swept  from  the  vibrating  strings;  they  seemed 


ABRAM  27 

laden  with  the  tears  of  broken  hearted  women  of  the  ages — 
and  ages  yet  to  come. 

Night  had  come,  and  the  palace  was  lit  up  from  end  to 
end  by  thousands  of  colored  lamps. 

A  most  sumptuous  repast  was  prepared  for  the  Laureate  and 
his  guest,  in  a  lofty,  richly  frescoed  banquet  hall,  wonderful 
dainties  and  still  more  wonderful  wines,  were  served  in 
princely  profusion,  and  while  the  strangely  met  and  sympa- 
thetically united  friends  ate  and  drank,  delicious  music  was 
played  on  stringed  instruments  by  unseen  performers, — when 
at  intervals  these  pleasing  sounds  ceased,  they  supplied  the 
left  ofiF  harmonies  with  conversation  that  was  brilliant,  witty, 
refined,  sparkling  with  light  anecdote  and  youthful  jest. 

Presently  the  two  friends  became  strangely  silent;  a 
shadow  of  dread  darkened  their  countenances, — 

"I  have  yet  to  learn  the  true  meaning  of  Istar's  Summons,'* 
said  Abram. 

"Istar,"  said  Zamula,  "saw  you  this  morning  the  only  un- 
kneeling  soul  in  that  abject  multitude,  and  hence,  perhaps  her 
present  desire  for  our  company.  Nothing  is  hidden  from  her ; 
she  reads  human  nature  as  one  reads  an  open  scroll,  and  with 
merciless  analysis  she  judges  all  men  as  being  low  creatures; 
to  her  ironical  humor  and  icy  wit  the  wisest  sages  seem  fools ; 
she  probes  them  to  the  core  and  discovers  all  their  weakness- 
es ; — she  has  no  trust  in  virtue,  no  belief  in  honesty.  The  vir- 
gin priestess,  strong  in  the  knowledge  of  mankind's  brute  stu- 
pidity, governs  the  multitude  with  an  iron  will,  intellectual 
force,  and  dictative  firmness.  And  while  she  retains  her 
magic  charms  she  will  hold  the  people  in  subjection.  To  the 
common  masses  she  is  a  virgin,  holy  and  undefiled,  but  there 


28  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

have  been  strange  rumors  of  late  that  if  the  truth  were 
known,  she  counts  her  lovers  by  the  score." 

This  Zamula  said,  and  there  was  in  his  tones  mingled  pain 
and  disdain. 

"Now  tell  me  my  esteemed  friend  who  was  he,  so  arrogant 
as  to  assume  to  rule  in  opposition  to  the  Ancient  of  Days?" 

"It  was  with  Lucifer  that  the  sentiments  and  the  utter- 
ances of  Monarchy  originated,  the  words  of  inspiration  are, 
*How  art  thou  fallen  from  heaven,  O  Lucifer,  son  of  the 
morning:  how  art  thou  cut  down  to  the  ground, — For  thou 
hast  said  in  thine  heart,  I  will  ascend  into  heaven,  I  will  exalt 
my  throne  above  the  stars  of  God.'  These  are  the  utterances 
of  arbitrary  force ;  in  these  sentiments  there  is  no  intentional 
liberty  at  all.  He  intended  to  substitute  in  the  place  of  God's 
government  of  love,  his  own  government  of  arbitrary  force. 
The  result  of  this  was  that  there  was  war  in  heaven,  and  the 
devil,  the  dragon  was  cast  out. 

"To  him  the  parents  of  our  race  gave  heed ; — and  the  long 
night  of  woe  settled  down  upon  our  world. 

"Amidst  this  gloom,  a  star  of  wondrous  beauty  appeared, 
it  was  the  star  of  Hope,  revealing  the  transcendent  and  abid- 
ing truth, — that  to  every  soul  there  is  granted  the  right  and 
the  power  to  choose  his  own  master.  There  are  two  masters 
contending  for  our  allegiance.  God  using  only  the  power  of 
winning  love;  and  the  adversary,  employing  cunning  and 
cruel  force. 

"If  there  had  never  been  any  sin,  the  history  of  this  world 
as  it  has  been  would  never  have  been  at  all.  And  it  is  certain 
that  there  can  be  no  true  understanding  of  the  history  of  the 
world  without  an  understanding  of  the  problem  of  sin  and 


ABRAM  29 

the  solution  of  that  problem ;  therefore,  the  true  beginning  of 
the  study  of  history  must  be  with  the  beginning  of  sin,  not 
only  in  this  world,  but  the  beginning  of  sin  where  sin  began. 

"God  in  the  very  wisdom  of  God,  has  been  present,  not 
only  through  all  the  experience  of  the  world,  but  before  ever 
the  world  itself  was;  and  there  still  will  He  be,  after  the 
world  as  it  is,  and  all  human  experience,  shall  have  ended 
forever. 

"And  it  is  only  by  the  wisdom  and  the  inspiration  and  the 
revelation  of  God,  that  the  knowledge  of  sin  and  its  origin 
can  be  known.." 

"Come,"  said  Zamula,  "it  is  the  hour  of  the  banquet,  come, 
and  we  shall  soon  be  where  men  live  in  the  present, — in  the 
seductive  loveliness, — in  the  fatal  enchantments  of  Istar's 
pleasance,  men  become  reckless  of  the  future." 

"Is  it  well  to  go  into  temptation?"  inquired  Abram. 

"No,  but  the  summons  of  the  High  Priestess  of  the  Sun  to 
one  of  her  midnight  banquets  is  a  mandate  that  none  dare  dis- 
regard." 

"Then  may  God  deliver  us  from  the  subtilty  of  her  charms 
forever,"  said  Abram. 


30 


CHAPTER  III. 

ABRAM 

In  a  short  time  they  were  passing  through  the  broad  ave- 
nues, and  now  almost  deserted  thoroughfares  of  Akkad  to  the 
palace  of  Istar. 

Abram  occupied  a  place  in  Zamula's  chariot;  there  was  no 
seat,  and  both  he  and  Zamula  stood  erect ;  the  latter  using  all 
the  force  of  his  slender  brown  hands  to  control  the  spirited 
prancing  of  the  pair  of  milk  white  steeds;  Abram  with  his 
hand  on  the  shoulder  of  his  companion.  Onward  they  sped 
under  the  star  lit  sky;  seemingly  with  the  swiftness  of  the 
wind.  At  last  they  stopped ;  before  them  rose  a  brilliantly 
lighted,  many  pinnacled  palace — a  great  gate  stood  open, — 
two  servitors  possessed  themselves  of  the  two  prancing  steeds, 
and  led  them  with  the  chariot  into  an  inner  court  yard, — and 
the  two  friends  entered  a  broad,  winding  avenue  through  a 
woodland  maze  bordered  with  flowers.  On  they  went  for 
several  paces,  till  at  a  short  bend,  directly  in  front  of  them 
glimmered  a  broad  piece  of  water ;  and  out  of  the  depths,  rose 
the  white  statue  of  an  unveiled,  perfectly  formed  woman, — 
a  witching  marble  nymph  illumined  by  electric  glamours 
whose  rounded  and  outstretched  arms  seemed  to  beckon  them, 
— ^whose  mouth  smiled  in  mingled  malice  and  sweetness, — 
and  round  whose  looped  up  tresses  sparkled  a  diadem  of 
sapphire  stones. 

Strains   of   music   greeted   their   ears, — music   played   on 


ABRAM  31 

stringed  instruments,  it  was  accompanied  by  a  ringing  clash 
of  cymbals. 

On  they  went  into  a  rose  marbled  terrace,  surrounded  by 
orange  trees ;  across  it  they  passed, — and  soon  they  were  in  a 
grand  vestibule  built  of  sparkling  red  granite, — adorned  with 
wonderful  statuary. 

Suddenly  a  woman  appeared,  clad  in  a  gown  of  shimmer- 
ing gold,  her  face  was  hid  by  a  white  veil,  only  her  eyes  were 
seen.  It  was  Istar  advancing  with  gliding,  graceful  move- 
ments to  greet  them. 

"Thou  art  late,  Zamula,"  she  said,  with  an  under  current 
of  laughter  in  her  musical  tones.  "And  this,"  turning  her 
veiled  features  toward  Abram,  who  caught  a  luminous  flash 
of  those  half  hidden  brilliant  eyes, — 

"This  is  the  unwitting  stranger  who  honored  me  with  so 
daring  a  scrutiny  this  morning,  verily  thou  hast  a  singularly 
venturesome  spirit  of  thine  own,  fair  sir,  still  we  must  honor 
courage  even  though  it  border  on  rashness,  and  I  rejoice  to 
see  that  the  wrathful  mob  of  Akkad  hath  left  thee  man 
enough  to  deserve  my  welcome.  Nevertheless,  thou  wert 
guilty  of  most  heinous  presumption."  Here  she  extended  her 
jeweled  hand, 

"Art  thou  repentant  and  wilt  thou  sue  for  pardon?" 

Abram  approached  her  and  took  that  fair,  soft  hand  in  his 
own  and  kissed  it.  With  a  touch  of  lofty  merriment  he 
said: 

"Nay,  I  seek  not  forgiveness,  rather  will  I  glory  in  my 
crime." 

"Thou  art  bold,"  she  said,  in  accents  of  indolent  amuse- 
ment, but  in  that  there  is  something  of  the  hero. 


32  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

"Knowest  thou  not  that  I  am  Istar,  High  Priestess  of 
the  Sun?  I  could  have  thee  slain  for  that  unwise  speech, — 
unwise  because  over  hasty  and  somewhat  over  familiar: 

"Yes,  I  could  have  thee  slain,"  and  she  laughed  a  rippling 
little  laugh,  and  said,  "Howbeit  thou  shalt  not  die  this  time 
for  thy  fool  rashness,  thy  looks  are  too  much  in  thy  favor." 

With  a  careless  movement  she  loosed  her  veil,  and  it  fell 
like  a  soft  cloud.  She  now  moved  toward  the  further  end  of 
the  vestibule,  and  bade  them  follow;  onward  she  glided  to- 
ward what  appeared  to  be  a  cliff  of  molten  gems  sparkling  as 
every  point  with  light  and  dark  violet. 

Arriving  at  the  foot  of  this  structure,  Istar  pressed  a  pro- 
truding knob  of  crystal,  and  lo, — the  whole  massive  structure 
yawned  suddenly  open,  suspending  itself  as  it  were  in  spark- 
ling festoons  of  stalactites  over  the  voluptuously  magnificent 
scene  disclosed.  It  was  a  vast  circular  hall  roofed  in  by  a 
lofty  dome  of  malachite,  from  the  center  of  which  was  sus- 
pended a  large  revolving  globe  flinging  crimson  rays  on  the 
amber  colored  carpet  below.  This  dome  was  supported  by 
tapering  crystal-like  emerald  columns.  On  one  side  there 
were  oval  shaped  casements  set  wide  open  to  the  night, 
through  which  the  gleam  of  a  lake  laden  with  water  lilies 
could  be  seen  shimmering  in  the  light  of  the  moon. 

The  middle  of  the  hall  was  occupied  with  a  round  table 
covered  with  draperies  of  gold,  white  and  green  and  heaped 
with  all  the  accessories  of  a  sumptuous  banquet;  here  were 
fruit  and  flowers  in  profusion ;  jeweled  cups  and  massive  gold- 
en dishes  carried  aloft  by  slaves,  clad  in  white  and  scarlet, — 
the  red  glow  of  poured  out  wine. 

And  lounging  on  divans  covered  with  embroidered  satin 


ABRAM  33 

were  a  company  of  brilliant  looking  personages, —  aristocrats, 
all  young  men,  eating  and  drinking,  gossiping  with  occasional 
bursts  of  laughter  or  snatches  of  songs. 

Suddenly  their  noisy  voices  ceased,  and  all  with  one  accord 
turned  their  heads  toward  Istar,  who  now  descended  the 
three  steps  from  the  platform  into  the  hall,  her  two  visitors 
following ;  the  rocky  screen  closing  behind  them. 

One  young  man,  merry  with  wine,  cried,  "All  Hail,  Istar, 
goddess  of  the  morn:  we  have  been  lost  in  the  blackness  of 
night ;  but  now  the  clouds  have  vanished  in  the  east  and  our 
hearts  rejoice  at  the  birth  of  day ;  Istar  invests  the  heaven  and 
the  earth,  and  in  her  smile  we  live." 

Istar  paid  no  heed  to  this  tipsy  salutation ;  she  stood  among 
her  assembled  guests  who  at  once  surrounded  her  with  eager 
salutations  and  gracefully  worded  flatteries ;  smiling  on  them 
a  strange  scornful  smile,  yet  bewitchingly  sweet,  she  said  little 
in  answer  to  their  greetings, — she  moved  as  a  queen  moves 
through  a  crowd  of  courtiers,  her  dark  head  wreathed  with 
jeweled  serpents,  lifted  itself  proudly  erect.  There  was  a 
frosty  gleam  of  mockery  in  her  eyes  that  made  them  look  so 
lustrous,  yet  so  cold. 

At  the  further  end  of  the  table  was  a  dais,  richly  draped 
in  carnation  silk, — a  throne  cushioned  in  black  velvet  was 
placed,  and  above  it  was  a  bent  arch  of  pearl,  on  which  was 
coiled  a  serpent  composed  of  emeralds. 

With  slow,  majestic  ease  Istar  mounted  the  dais;  at  the 
sound  of  a  bell  two  female  servitors  appeared  and  prostrated 
themselves  at  her  feet  and  then  arose  and  easily  removed  her 
mantle  of  gold.  She  was  clad  in  a  silvery  white  gossamer  gown 
clinging  and  somewhat  transparent;  her  waist  was  girdled 


34  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

with  a  silver  serpent,  its  head  of  sapphires,  and  just  above  her 
bosom  was  a  fiery  jewel  which  resembled  the  human  eye,  this 
singularly  life-like  jewel  was  absolutely  repulsive  as  it  moved 
to  and  fro  with  the  breathing  of  the  wearer. 

Istar  now  ascended  her  throne  in  statuesque  majesty,  and 
sinking  indolently  amid  its  sable  cushions,  she  shone  in 
her  wonderful  whiteness  like  a  glistening  pearl  set  in  ebony. 
She  signed  to  her  guests  to  resume  their  places  at  the  table; 
she  was  instantly  obeyed. 

Zamula  taking  what  seemed  to  be  his  accustomed  place  at 
right,  Abram  found  a  vacant  corner  at  her  left.  At  that 
moment  a  triumphant  burst  of  music  rushed  through  the 
dome,  and  the  rush  and  buzz  of  conversation  began.  Two  ser- 
vants stood  near  Istar,  waving  large  fans  of  peacock  plumes 
slowly  to  and  fro,  which  emitted  a  thousand  jewel-like 
splendors. 

A  slave  knelt  on  one  knee,  attired  in  scarlet,  proffering  a 
golden  salver  loaded  with  the  choicest  fruits  and  wines. 

In  this  gay  and  gorgeous  scene  Abram  surveyed  this  woman 
resplendent  in  all  the  startling  seductiveness  of  her  dangerous 
charms;  and  he  was  not  insensible  to  the  mesmeric  spell  that 
was  certainly  stealing  over  and  intoxicating  the  entire  being 
of  all  present, — should  he  yield  to  the  magic  spell  ? — Should 
he  for  one  brief  hour  enjoy  the  love  that  kills?  No,  no!  a 
thousand  times  no.  It  seemed  to  him  that  the  destiny  of  mul- 
titudes and  nations  rested  upon  his  integrity  in  that  hour. 

There  was  nothing  repulsive  in  the  half  ironical,  half  mis- 
chievous merriment  of  these  patrician  revelers,  their  witti- 
cism was  brilliant  and  pointed,  but  never  indelicate, — but  the 
soft,  enervating  sensualism  of  trained  and  cultured  epicurean 


ABRAM  35 

aristocrats  is  a  moral  poison  whose  effects  are  so  insidious  as 
to  be  scarcely  felt  till  all  the  native  nobility  of  character  has 
withered,  and  naught  is  left  of  the  man  but  the  shadow  wreck 
of  his  former  self. 

As  the  banquet  progressed,  wine  followed  more  lavishly; 
peal  after  peal  of  laughter  echoed  throughout  the  dome,  ail 
sorts  of  topics  were  discussed. 

Abram  now  turned  to  hear  what  Istar  was  saying  to 
Zamula, — 

"And  how  is  thy  beauteous  Sarai? 

"Art  thou  still  charmed  with  her  marvelous  singing  ? 

"I  hear  that  thou  hast  given  her  freedom,  is  that  prudent, 
is  she  not  safer  as  thy  slave  ?" — 

"The  child  is  free  to  shape  her  own  fate,  her  own  future; 
I  bind  her  no  longer  to  my  service." 

Istar *s  drowsy  eyes  shot  forth  a  fiery  glance  from  under 
their  heavily  fringed  drooping  lids. 

Zamula  met  this  glance  with  a  mutinous  look  of  determina- 
tion.— She  languidly  took  a  goblet  of  wine,  kissed  the  brim 
and  handed  it  to  him,  he  took  it,  drank  from  it  and  returned 
it.  Istar  refilled  it  and  with  soft  animation  and  tenderness, 
turned  to  Abram  and  handed  it  to  him ;  he  took  the  cup  and 
drank  a  little  and  with  a  slight  salutation  returned  it. 

"What  a  serious  melancholy  countenance  is  thine,  Sir 
Abram,"  she  said  abruptly, — thou  art  truly  a  man  of  strongly 
repressed  and  concentrated  powers, — just  the  nature  I  love: 
I  would  there  were  more  of  thy  proud  and  chilly  tempera- 
ment,— most  men  are  full  of  folly,  nervous  are  they,  their 
heads  are  weak  and  apt  to  ache  on  small  provocation,  and 
their  bodies  cannot  endure  fatigue.  « 


36  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

"Aye,  but  thou  art  a  man  clothed  from  head  to  foot  in 
complete  armour."  She  paused,  and  leaning  forward  so  that 
the  dark  tresses  of  her  fragrant  hair  touched  his  arm. 

She  turned  and  touched  a  bell  at  her  side,  it  gave  a  sharp 
noise  like  a  cymbal — and  lo,  the  banquet  table  vanished — 
the  broad  center  space  of  the  hall  was  now  clear  from  all 
obstruction,— and  the  drowsy  revelers  aroused  themselves 
from  their  half  inebriated  languor.  There  w^as  the  sound  of 
singing  voices  in  the  distance,  and  the  globe  of  fire  changed 
its  hue  from  that  of  crimson  to  a  delicate  pink;  nearer  came 
the  singing.  From  the  extreme  end  of  the  vast  hall  a  door 
opened, — and  all  at  once  a  troop  of  girls  came  dancing  into 
the  full  pinkness  of  the  light  that  floated  about  them,  their 
garments  were  white,  filmy  and  clinging — they  tripped  for- 
ward and  surrounded  Istar,,  fluttering,  saluting  her  with 
gestures  of  exquisite  grace  and  devoted  humility,  while  she 
enthroned  in  supreme  fairness,  looked  down  upon  them  like  a 
goddess  calmly  surveying  a  crowd  of  vestal  worshipers.  And 
when  their  salutations  were  done,  they  flocked  like  doves  to 
the  center  of  the  hall,  there  they  poised  bird-like,  with  their 
snowy  arms  upraised,  as  though  ready  to  fly,  and  waited — 
then  came  a  tingling  jangle  of  silver  bells  beating  out  a 
measured,  languorous  rythm, — and  with  one  accord  they  all 
merged  together  in  the  voluptuous  grace  of  a  dance,  ravish- 
ing and  wild,  there  was  fantastic  grace  in  these  fairy-like 
forms,  as  advancing,  now  retreating,  now  parting  asunder 
with  an  air  of  coquetry  and  caprice — anon  meeting  again, 
and  winding  arm  in  arm, — bending  forward  in  attitudes  of 
entreaty,  inviting  love  to  soothe  the  sweetness  of  their  lips 
with  kisses. 


ABRAM  37 

The  light  changed  from  pale  pink  to  delicate  amber  green. 
And  now  a  flaring  shaft  of  flame  struck  through  like  a  sword 
from  the  farther  end  of  the  hall,  and  presently  the  whole 
wall  opened  and  recoiling  backwards  on  either  side,  disclosed 
a  garden, — the  green  turf  was  lit  up  by  the  glory  of  the  late 
moon,  gold  and  green  pavilions  glimmered  invitingly  through 
the  shadows  of  the  great  magnolia  trees. 

And  there  was  a  crash  of  cymbals;  then  a  chime  of  bells, 
— a  steady  ringing,  persuasive  chime;  and  one  maiden  alone, 
— Peri-like  floated  seemingly  from  some  far  oflF  place,  glided 
into  the  full  luster  of  the  varying  lights.  The  music  now 
changed  into  a  wild  curious  fantastic  medley ;  to  this  the  girl 
leaped  forward  with  a  startlingly  beautiful  abruptness, — and 
halting  as  it  were  on  the  boundary  line  between  the  dome  and 
the  garden  beyond,  raised  her  arms  in  a  snowy  arch  above  her 
head  and  paused,  for  an  instant  only.  Dropping  her  arms 
again  with  swift  decision,  she  straightway  hurled  herself,  so 
to  speak,  into  the  giddy  paces  of  a  wild  fantastic  dance, — 
round  and  round  she  floated,  sometimes  bending  wistfully 
toward  the  green  turf  as  if  listening  to  voices  below,  and 
sometimes  waving  her  white  hands  upward  as  though  in 
summons  to  spirits  aboye. 

Suddenly  the  music  changed  from  appealing  persuasive 
tones  to  that  of  martial-like  fervor;  the  light  changed  to  a 
dazzling  pale  green  azure  and  again  to  a  pearly  clear  white. 

The  girl's  movements  grew  indolently  slow — and  from 
the  shade  there  stepped  forth  a  man,  noble  of  form,  clothed 
from  chest  to  knee  in  a  close  fitting  garb  that  looked  like 
woven  threads  of  gold ;  his  hair  was  crowned  with  ivy,  and  at 
his  belt  the  glittering  sheath  of  a  dagger;  slowly  and  with 


38  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

courtly  grace  he  approached  the  maiden,  who  seemed  to  be 
drowsily  footing  her  way  into  dreamland,  he  touched  her 
shoulder, — ^she  started  with  a  gesture  of  surprise, — a  brilliant 
smile  dawned  on  her  face, — withdrawing  herself  slightly, 
she  assumed  an  air  of  sweet  disdain  and  refusal,  then  cap- 
riciously relenting,  she  gave  him  her  hand,  and  in  another 
instant,  to  the  sound  of  a  joyful  melody,  the  dazzling  pair 
whirled  away  in  a  giddy  waltz, — on  they  flew  on  the  smooth 
green  turf,  under  drooping  flowers  in  the  moonlight,  with  the 
radiations  from  the  dome  sparkling  upon  them.  Gradually 
they  vanished  through  the  shadows  beyond.  The  young  men 
who  had  watched  this  dance  through  in  silence  and  flushed 
ecstasy,  now  sprang  from  their  couches  and  seizing  the  other 
dancing  maidens  who  had  until  now  remained  in  clustered, 
half  hidden  groups  behind  the  columns  of  the  hall,  whirled 
them  off  into  the  inviting  pleasance  beyond. 

And  before  Abram  could  quite  realize  what  had  happened, 
the  great  globe  in  the  dome  was  suddenly  extinguished,  and 
through  the  merest  glimmer  of  light  he  discovered  that  he 
was  alone. 

Zamula  had  disappeared,  and  while  he  was  considering  how 
to  find  his  way  out  of  those  enchanted  grounds — suddenly 
a  hand  was  laid  on  him.  It  was  Istar,  her  face  was  tempting- 
ly near  his  own, — 

"Abram,"  she  said  softly,  and  waited, — he  was  mute,  un- 
moved,— 

"Dost  thou  love  me  ?"  she  cried. 

"Lady,  thou  art  fair,  but  I  am  too  wise  to  love  in  the  way 
of  folly."     She  bade  him  follow  her,  and  in  a  moment  he 


ABRAM  39 

found  himself  in  an  exquisitely  adorned  pavilion,  faintly  lit 
with  rose  luster,  carpeted  with  gold  color. 

Here  on  a  couch  of  stemless  roses,  Istar  seated  herself ;  she 
looked  lovelier  than  ever,  in  the  soft  faint  rose  mingled  with 
moon  beams,  her  smile  was  no  longer  cold,  but  warmly  sweet, 
her  eyes  had  lost  their  mocking  glitter. 

"Abram,"  she  said  in  tones  of  persuasive  melody — 

"If  thou  canst  love  me,  thou  shalt  be  honored  above  the 
noblest  in  the  realm, — thou  shalt  rule  with  me  over  King  and 
people ;  and  we  will  make  the  land  a  pleasure  garden  for  our 
love  and  joy." 

"Nay,  nay,  fair  lady,  we  who  esteem  ourselves  the  sons  of 
God,  have  aspirations  that  are  as  limitless  as  space,  as  endless 
as  eternity;  while  the  joys  which  you  offer  are  like  bubbles 
that  burst  in  the  sunshine,  or  as  gold  crimson  tinted  clouds 
that  dissolve  away  in  a  summer  evening." 

Istar  looked  at  him  steadfastly,  an  under  gleam  of  malice 
in  her  eyes. 

"Good  sir,  all  men  are  oppressors  of  their  brother  man,  in- 
solent, self-opinionated,  tyrannical,  bound  slaves  of  the  earth 
on  which  they  dwell,  why  should  they  live  to  carry  their  ig- 
noble presence  into  the  splendors  of  an  eternity  too  vast  for 
them  to  understand?  Nay,  I  had  thought  thee  to  wise,  it  is 
for  the  credulous  that  we  keep  up  a  reasonless  worship  to  an 
unproved  Deity.  We  maintain  this  merely  for  the  sake  of 
st^te  policy.  Tomorrow  thou  shalt  see  with  what  glorious 
pomp  and  panoply  we  impose  on  the  faithful,  who  like  thee 
believe  in  their  own  deathless  and  divine  natures,  and  enjoy 
to  the  full  the  conceit  that  tells  them  of  their  right  to  im- 
mortality. 


40  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 


*'Come,  do  my  bidding," — and  suddenly  throwing  back  a 
rich,  gold  curtain,  she  disclosed  a  small  inner  chamber,  hung 
with  amber  and  crimson,  where  on  a  low  couch  covered  with 
glistening  draperies,  lay  the  Laureate  of  the  realm,  sunk  in  a 
deep,  drunken  stupor,  so  deep  as  to  be  almost  death-like. 
Abram  looked  upon  Zamula  with  amazement.  The  couch 
was  tumbled,  his  attire  was  disordered,  his  silken  vest  had 
been  loosed,  leaving  his  broad  white  chest  bare ;  one  arm  was 
above  his  head,  the  other  hung  nervelessly,  the  relaxed  fingers 
hovering  immediately  above  a  jeweled  cup  that  had  dropped 
from  its  clasp. 

To  the  recumbent  form  of  Zamula, — Istar  pointed  with 
loathing  and  contempt. 

''See  him,"  she  said,  "a  drunken  voluptuary,  a  false  god  of 
art, — he  loves  me,  but  I  weary  of  his  love, — I  wish  him  dead. 
Thou  shalt  kill  him.  Here  is  thy  weapon."  Handing  him 
a  glittering  dagger. 

"Stab  him  to  the  heart,  quick,  while  he  is  in  that  death- 
like stupor,  let  thy  stroke  be  strong  and  unfaltering." 

Abram  had  stood  god  like, — to  the  full  height  of  his  noble 
stature,  his  head  erect,  his  arms  folded  serenely  across  his 
broad  chest,  his  mouth  firmly  set,  a  brilliant  light  in  his 
eyes. 

"I  spoke  not  of  gods,"  he  said,  "neither  does  my  faith  em- 
brace the  form  of  worship  that  dominates  this  city ;  I  worship 
God  the  Supreme  Being,  who  lives  and  is  favorable  to  him, 
who  would  rise  from  the  low  state  in  which  he  finds  himself." 

"O,"  she  cried. 

"Then  thou  art  like  the  prophet,  prating  in  the  street  about 


ABRAM  41 

the  true  God, — and  he  died  miserably  in  the  street  yester- 
day."   This  she  said  with  a  malicious  little  laugh. 

"I,  High  Priestess,  am  the  power  absolute.  I  have  caused 
empires  to  totter,  and  thrones  to  fall: 

"I  bid  thee,  kill  him." 

Abram  took  the  dagger  in  his  hand,  looking  at  it  fixedly, 
and  with  a  silent  gesture  he  motioned  her  from  him  in  stern 
repugnance.  Catching  sight  of  the  sheeny  glimmer  of  the 
lake,  he  flung  the  dagger  far  out  towards  the  watery  mirror ; 
it  whirled  glittering  through  the  air,  and  fell  with  a  splash 
in  the  silvery  depths,  and  gravely  contented,  he  turned  his 
eyes  upon  her,  dauntless  and  serene  in  the  consciousness  of 
power. 

"Thus  do  I  obey  thee,"  said  he  in  firm  tones  that  thrilled 
through  and  through  with  scorn  and  indignation.  Like  an 
enraged  queen  she  stood,  a  lurid  anger  blazed  in  her  face,  her 
tyts  widened  with  wrathful  wonder. 

"Beware,  beware  of  me!  I  will  humble  thee  as  I  have 
humbled  the  proudest  of  thy  sex,  wheresoever  thou  goest  I 
will  track  thee  out  and  torture  thee,  and  thou  shalt  die,  mis- 
erably, horribly.  Tonight  be  free — but  tomorrow  as  thou 
livest,  I  will  claim  thee." 

"Tomorrow,  Istar,  thou  shalt  claim  nothing,  thou  and  I 
are  common  creatures  of  one  Creator.  Pray  to  God  if  thou 
canst,  for  thou  hast  need  of  prayer." 

She  gazed  upon  him  with  dilated,  terrified  eyes,  not  a  word 
did  she  utter  in  reply.  Step  by  step  she  retreated  from  him, 
she  let  the  draperies  fall  softly  and  so  disappeared,  leaving 
him  alone  with  Zamula. 

He  stood  for  a  moment,  now  he  ventured  to  look  through 


42  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

the  curtains  that  concealed  Istar's  pavih'on ;  she  was  not  there. 
Now  was  the  time  to  escape,  thought  Abram,  while  she  was 
absent ;  he  would  arouse  his  friend  and  once  safe  in  his  own 
palace,  he  would  warn  him  of  the  death  threatened  him 
through  the  treachery  of  the  woman  he  loved.  And  bending 
over  him,  he  called,  "Zamula,  wake!  thee,  man,  for  very 
shame's  sake."    And  he  shook  him  violently  by  the  arm. 

"Up,  wake,  danger  threatens  thee." 

Thus  speaking  he  managed  to  get  his  companion  away. 

Nothing  appeared  to  hinder  their  progress,  and  soon  they 
were  safe  in  the  poet's  own  palace.  Very  little  was  said,  and 
each  retired  for  the  remainder  of  the  night. 

In  the  morning  it  was  late,  Abram  crossed  the  hall  and 
arrived  at  the  door  of  the  Laureate's  private  sanctuary,  where 
gently  drawing  aside  the  rich  draperies,  he  looked  in  for  a 
moment  without  himself  being  perceived. 

Zamula  was  reclining  in  a  quaintly  carved  ebony  chair ;  his 
dress  was  of  fine  white  linen,  he  wore  neither  myrtle  wreath 
nor  jewels ;  his  expression  was  serious,  even  noble,  his  attitude 
was  one  of  unstudied  ease  that  became  him  well. 

Abram  now  advanced,  and  the  Laureate  sprang  up  delight- 
edly. 

"Ah,  my  noble  friend  welcome;  thou  dost  seem  so  sympa- 
thetically conjoined  with  me  that  I  think  I  am  but  half  my- 
self in  thine  absence.  Come,  sit  thee  down,  and  break  thy 
fast." 

Abram  looking  into  his  bright,  beautiful  face  was  too  deep- 
ly moved  by  his  own  inward  emotions  to  reply  immediately. 

Two  maidens  advanced  and  placed  salvers,  on  which  were 
refreshments,  before  them  and  then  withdrew. 


ABRAM  43 

Presently  Zamula  looked  up  perplexedly, — "What  a  night 
of  strange  delirium  it  was :  I  cannot  recall  what  it  was  that 
happened;  Istar  must  have  given  me  something  strange  to 
drink;  she  was  with  me  and  when  I  would  have  kissed  her, 
she  coquettishly  left  me,  and  I  remember  no  more  till  you 
shouted  danger  in  my  ears." 

Abram  now  related  in  detail  his  experience  with  Istar — 
repeating  just  the  words  that  were  spoken,  but  with  choked 
and  painful  utterance  at  the  words, — "Thou  shalt  kill  him." 
— At  these  words  Zamula  sprang  up  excitedly,  he  flew  at 
Abram's  throat, 

"Man,  are  you  telling  me  the  truth  ?" 

Abram  grasped  him  firmly  but  gently  by  the  arms  and  re- 
seated him  in  his  chair, — "Be  calm,  my  friend,  be  calm," — 
Zamula  sank  languidly,  his  face  was  ashen  pale,  but  it  was 
only  for  a  moment,  presently  he  was  himself  again,  and  said : 

"Ah,  well,  you  have  delivered  me  from  the  treachery  of 
that  woman ;  many  times  she  has  told  me  that  I  am  the  only 
one  whom  she  loves ;  how  blind  I  have  been :  I  have  been  a 
fool  bewitched  by  a  false  woman's  beauty,  but  now  thou  hast 
taught  me  wisdom. 

"But  I  fear  evil  is  determined  concerning  thee,  most  es- 
teemed friend;  no  one  has  ever  escaped  the  wrath  of  Istar, 
who  dared  to  set  aside  her  mandate.     I  must  shield  thee." 

Abram  now  told  Zamula  that  Sarai  was  his  betrothed,  that 
he  with  commissioners  had  been  searching  everywhere  for 
her, — 

"I  have  been  in  communication  with  my  servants,  they 
know  all  that  happened.    It  is  true,  Istar  has  determined  that 


44  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

I  shall  die,  but  my  servants  are  gone  and  will  return  with  an 
armed  host.    Of  this  fact  Istar  knows  nothing." 

Zamula  now  with  charming  abruptness  called  to  a  valet  and 
commanded  him,  "Tell  Sarai  that  I  desire  her  immediate 
presence."  In  another  moment  Sarai  appeared — Zamula 
said: 

'Come  little  heroine,  receive  thy  lover;"  taking  her  hand, 
he  led  her  to  Abram,  who  was  advancing  to  greet  her,  and 
when  with  grateful  joy  and  emotion  he  had  embraced  her, 
Sarai  looked  at  Zamula,  he  was  very  pale  and  greatly  agi- 
tated.   She  demanded  to  know  the  cause  of  it. 

Abram  had  composed  himself,  and  now  related  to  her,  that 
he  with  commissioners  had  entered  the  city  searching  for  her ; 
and  that  he  had  gone  with  the  multitude  to  the  Midsummer 
Benediction  to  the  sun;  and  that  the  illustrious  poet  had 
rescued  him  from  the  violence  of  the  mob.  And  then  of  the 
summons  of  Istar  to  her  midnight  banquet  and  there,  how 
she,  with  her  flatteries  and  temptations  had  commanded  him 
to  kill  Zamula;  and  of  her  threat  that  he  should  be  slain  be- 
cause he  refused  to  do  her  bidding.  At  this  Sarai  was  about 
to  faint,  but  Abram  hastened  to  tell  her  that  an  armed  host 
would  be  there  to  rescue  him,  and  to  take  them  to  their  home 
inUr. 

At  that  instant  the  sound  of  approaching  steps  attracted 
their  attention.  It  was  one  of  the  maidens  of  the  household, 
a  stately,  dignified  beauty ;  her  salute  to  Zamula  was  graceful, 
yet  scarcely  submissive, — 

"Welcome,  Lorenya,  how  refreshing,  thou  art  the  very 
bitter  sweetness  my  soul  desires,  what  is  thy  errand,  my  love- 
liest moonbeam?" 


ABRAM  45 

With  a  look  of  majestic  mutiny  she  said : — 

"Thou  art  pleased  to  flatter  thy  slave;  keep  thy  flatteries 
for  another,  to  me  they  are  all  unwelcome." 

"My  errand  is  to  say  that  a  priest  of  the  Inner  Temple 
waits  without,  and  desires  instant  speech  with  the  most  illus- 
trious Zamula." 

"A  priest  of  the  Inner  Temple,"  echoed  the  Laureate, — 
"a  most  unwelcome  visitor,  what  business  can  he  have  with 
me." 

"I  know  not,"  responded  Lorenya,  "he  hath  come  hither, 
so  he  bade  me  say,  by  command  of  the  absolute  authority." 

Zamula's  face  flushed  and  he  looked  troubled. 

"Come,"  taking  Abram  by  the  arm,  "If  we  must  needs  re- 
ceive this  sanctified  professor  of  many  hypocrisies,  we  will  do 
it  with  ease  and  suitable  indifference. 

"Bid  yon  waiting  priest  attend  me,  tell  him  that  I  can 
spare  but  a  few  moments." 

And  soon  she  appeared,  ushering  in  with  ceremonious  civil- 
ity, a  tall,  mysterious,  solemn  looking  individual ;  he  sat  down 
in  a  chair,  and  Zamula  began  the  conversation. 

"To  what  unexpected  cause  am  I  indebted  for  the  honor 
of  this  present  visit?  Methinks  I  recognize  the  countenance 
of  the  famous  Lazel,  the  High  Priest  of  the  Sacrificial  Altar." 

Lazel  spoke,  and  his  low,  hoarse  voice  was  like  the  sound 
from  the  regions  of  ghouls,  disturbing  the  sweet  harmonies  of 
the  poet's  palace. 

"The  mission  with  which  I  am  charged  is,  whereas  thou 
hast  of  late  avoided  many  days  of  worship  at  public  service  in 
the  Temple  so  that  many  people  who  admire  thee,  likewise 
absent  themselves.    The  Priestess  undefiled,  the  noble  Istar, 


46  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

doth  command  thy  presence  tonight  as  a  duty  not  to  be  fore- 
gone. For  motives  of  state  policy  it  is  urgent  that  all  who 
hold  place,  dignity  and  renown  in  the  city  should  this  night 
be  seen  as  fervent  supplicants  before  the  sacred  shrine,  so  may 
much  threatened  rebellion  be  appeased  and  order  restored, 
out  of  impending  confuson ;  this  message  I  am  bidden  to  con- 
vey to  thee." 

Turning  to  Abram,  "And  this  is  iSir  Abram,  guest  of  the 
King's  Laurate,  who  blasphemed  the  gods  in  the  presence  of 
the  High  Priestess,  and  otherwise  behaved  in  a  most  insolent 
manner;  and  she  is  justly  offended,  yes,  she  is  filled  with  un- 
appeasable wrath,  and  by  her  command  "Absolute"  thou 
must  die, — tonight  thou  shalt  be  cast  into  the  Altar  of  fire, 
thus  shall  the  wrath  of  the  gods  be  appeased.  There  are  tu- 
mults and  disasters,  the  hearts  of  all  faint  and  sink  for  fear. 
And  there  is  urgent  demand  that  there  shall  be  offered  a  sac- 
rifice at  the  temple  tonight,  whereby  further  calamities  may 
be  averted.  And  that  all  the  faithful  shall  in  solemn  unison 
implore  the  favor  of  Shamas. 

"It  was  my  intention,"  said  Zamula,  "to  join  the  ranks  of 
worshipers  tonight,  though  for  myself  I  have  no  faith  in  that 
worshp ;  the  gods  I  ween  are  deaf  and  care  not  a  jot  whether 
we  mortals  weep  or  sing.  And  concerning  the  matter  of  sac- 
rifice, it  is  a  shuddering  horror  that  should  be  abolished." 

"I  think  not  so,"  replied  the  priest  calmly,  "thou  art  well 
instructed  in  the  capricious  humors  of  men,  it  is  a  clamorous 
brute  instinct  in  them  which  must  be  satisfied.  Better  there- 
fore, that  we  the  anointed  priests  should  slay  for  the  purpose 
of  religion  one  victim,  than  that  the  ignorant  mob  should  kill 
a  thousand  to  gratify  their  lust  for  murder."     Turning  to 


ABRAM  47 

Abram,  he  said,  "It  is  well  for  thee  that  thou  art  a  stranger, 
for  thou  canst  yet  save  thy  life  by  humble  supplication  and 
sworn  obedience  to  the  power  absolute."  And  without  an- 
other word  he  went  out. 

Zamula  looked  at  Abram  imploringly,  dumb  with  horror, 
Sarai  flung  her  arms  about  him,  and  besought  him  to  save  his 
life. 

Abram  was  unmoved;  his  brow  was  lofty.  Presently  a 
smile  crept  over  his  inspired  countenance,  as  he  said: — 

"Why,  those  people  boasting  'Absolute  Authority,'  arc 
like  toads  looking  at  the  sun.  Hearken,  beloved,  fear  them 
not.  There  is  one  only  Absolute;  Him  I  fear.  This  night 
there  will  be  from  his  courts  on  high,  a  commission,  a  guar- 
dian angel,  in  whose  presence,  Istar,  with  all  her  dupes,  the 
priests,  the  king  and  his  armies  will  be  as  powerless  as  the 
toads  looking  at  the  sun.  Though  they  cast  me  into  the  fur- 
nace of  fire,  I  shall  pass  through  and  come  out  of  it  with  no 
odor  of  fire  upon  my  garments,  if  it  be  according  to  God's 
will.  Whatever  happens  it  shall  be  well  with  my  soul.  The 
army  from  Ur  may  arrive  in  time  to  rescue  me,  but  I  trust 
in  God,  more  than  in  an  armed  host. 

"Give  attention  Sarai,  chosen  of  my  heart,  and  Zamula, 
my  esteemed  friend, — beyond  the  shadow  of  death,  there  is 
a  country,  in  it  no  dark  valley  at  all,  everywhere  light,  and 
fulness  of  joy  and  love,  and  there  is  no  death  there.  It  is 
God's  country.  My  loyalty  is  to  Jehovah  the  King,  the  great 
high  priest  in  the  heavens,  and  my  patriotism  is  for  His 
country. 

Zamula  now  went  out,  leaving  Abram  alone  with  Sarai. 
Abram  now  told  Sarai  that  should  he  acknowledge  the  power 


48  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

of  Istar,  or  even  feign  obedience  to  save  his  life,  they  would 
be  slaves,  ever  subject  to  the  capricious  humor  of  an  unscru- 
pulous woman,  ruling  in  the  assumed  and  dignified  name, — 
government,  "Absolute  Authority." 

Moreover,  should  he  yield  in  the  least  he  would  prove  him- 
self disloyal  to  the  Most  High. 

Zamula  was  with  Lorenya,  Myra  and  Athazel,  telling 
them  about  Abram  and  Sarai,  and  all  the  things  that  had  hap- 
pened, and  how  the  powers  had  decreed  to  offer  Abram  as  a 
sacrifice  to  Shamas. 

Presently  a  valet  approached,  announcing  that  two  priests, 
with  armed  officers  were  without,  demanding  to  speak  with 
Abram,  guest  of  the  Laureate. 

"Bid  them  in,"  said  Zamula  sternly. 

Abram  was  called.  Now  when  Abram  would  not  retract 
at  all,  they  led  him  away. 

The  matchless  courage  of  Abram  had  strengthened  Sarai 
and  Zamula,  but  some  things  are  too  strong  for  all  but  the 
strongest.  Sarai  fainted.  Zamula  supported  her  to  a  couch, 
while  the  other  maidens  brought  restoratives.  She  was  soon 
revived  and  retired  to  seek  strength  by  prayer,  and  to  make 
request  of  God  for  the  life  of  her  lover. 

The  hours  steadily  wore  on,  a  singularly  profound  stillness 
reigned  everywhere.  In  the  west  a  cloud,  black  as  the  black- 
est midnight,  lay  heavy  and  motionless,  fringed  at  the  edges 
with  tremulous  lines  of  gold,  beamy  threads  of  lightning 
played  through  it  now  and  again,  poised  above  it  was  the  sun 
looking  like  a  ball  of  dim  fire,  destitute  of  rays — a  moment, 
and  the  sun  dropped  suddenly  into  the  darkness,  purple 
shadows  crept  across  the  heavens  like  a  vast  hall  spread  in 


ABRAM  49 

readiness  for  a  solemn  state  burial — strangely  fascinated  the 
maidens  watched  the  gathering  storm, — Zamula  exclaimed: 
*'A  storm  is  coming,  'twill  break  tonight:  What  a  night 
of  horrors  it  will  be;  I  would  it  were  past.  A  shudder  ran 
through  his  delicate  frame,  his  face  was  pale. 


50 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  TEMPLE 

The  vast  stillness,  the  vast  night  was  full  of  solemn  wierd- 
ness.  Presently  the  deep  booming  of  a  great  bell  smote  heavir 
ly  on  the  stillness.  The  temple  of  Shamas  was  lit  up  from 
base  to  summit.  Twelve  revolving  stars  on  its  twelve  tall 
turrets  cast  forth  penetrating  beams  into  the  darkness  of  the 
night.  The  doors  stood  open,  and  a  thunderous  hum  of 
solemn  music  vibrated  in  waves  of  sound  through  the  densely 
hot  air.  Enormous  crowds  of  people  were  fast  filling  the 
temple.  There  was  a  dim,  yet  sparkling  splendor  in  the  im- 
mense dome  above,  lights  twinkled  everywhere.  There  were 
distant  glimpses  of  jeweled  shrines,  and  the  luring  faces  of 
grotesque  idols. 

But  the  place  of  the  inner  shrine  was  spanned  by  an  arch 
of  pale  blue  fire  from  right  to  left,  there  from  huge  vessels, 
burning  incense  arose  in  thick  and  odorous  clouds — there 
children  clad  in  white  stood  about  as  still  as  statues,  their 
hands  folded  and  their  eyes  downcast.  The  sanctuary  itself 
was  not  visible. 

Before  the  holy  of  holies  hung  the  dazzling  folds  of  the 
Silver  Veil.    Across  it  in  large  characters  was : — 
I  AM  THE  PAST,  THE  PRESENT, 
THE  FUTURE 
NO  MORTAL  KNOWETH  MY  NAME 


THE  TEMPLE  51 

There  Nimrod  was  seated  directly  in  front  of  the  veil, 
Zamula  was  near  him  at  his  right  hand.  Presently  out  of  a 
side  arch  way  came  a  band  of  priests  walking  two  by  two, 
waving  palm  bows,  these  were  clothed  in  purple  and  wore  ivy 
wreaths ;  they  marched  sedately,  chanting  inaudibly ;  arriving 
at  the  lowest  step  of  the  shrine  they  prostrated  themselves. 

The  glistening  veil  moved,  again  it  moved,  waving  to  and 
fro ;  again  it  moved,  then  it  began  to  part  in  the  middle  very 
slowly. 

A  figure,  angelically  fair  appeared,  the  central  jewel  of  the 
stately  shrine,  Istar,  High  Priestess  of  the  Sun,  gloriously  ar- 
rayed in  Sin.  She  stood  still;  her  hands  folded  across  her 
breast,  her  eyes  turned  upward,  her  robe  was  pearly  white, 
her  diadem  of  serpents  was  a  sparkling  flame.  Her  arms 
were  bare.  The  great  symbolic  eye  flared  from  her  bosom 
on  all  sides.  After  a  brief  pause,  she  unfolded  her  arms  and 
raised  them  with  a  slow  majestic  movement  above  her  head. 
She  lifted  up  her  voice  and  chanted: — 

"Give  glory  to  the  Sun  O,  ye  people;  for  his  light  doth 
illumine  your  darkness." 

The  people  murmured,  "We  give  him  glory." 

"Give  glory  to  Shamas  O,  ye  people ;  for  he  alone  can  turn 
aside  the  wrath  of  the  immortals." 

"We  give  him  glory,"  rejoined  the  multitude. 

There  was  a  time  of  strange  silence ;  all  loud  music  ceased, 
the  lights  in  the  body  of  the  temple  were  lowered ;  the  back 
of  the  sanctuary  parted  asunder,  disclosing  a  huge  image  with 
outstretched  arms.  Then  the  priest,  Lazel,  advanced  to  the 
foot  of  the  shrine  with  slow,  solemn  step,  and  spreading  out 


52  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

his  hands  in  the  manner  of  one  pronouncing  a  benediction, 
said  loudly: 

"Shamas  the  divine  doth  hear  the  prayer  of  his  people: 
Shamas  the  supreme  doth  accept  the  sacrifice:  Bring  forth 
the  victim."    There  was  stern  authority  in  the  last  words. 

A  dreadful  silence  ensued.  Suddenly  a  slight  shudder  of 
morbid  expectancy  seemed  to  quiver  through  the  vast  congre- 
gation.   There  was  a  loud  burst  of  music. 

The  arms  of  the  great  image  spread  apart,  revealing  a  fur- 
nace of  fire.  The  victim  appeared  and  was  being  lowered 
into  the  fire.  *  A  flash  of  time,  an  appalling  roar  of  thunder, 
a  dazzling  flash  of  light  in  which  appeared  a  majestic  being 
not  of  earth.  At  the  same  time  the  startling  boom  of  an 
approaching  army  and  the  tramping  of  horses.  Then  there 
followed  a  sudden  calm ;  for  a  moment  all  was  light  and  clear 
in  which  the  mighty  Abram  was  seen  beside  Zamula.  King, 
priestess  and  priests  had  fallen  as  though  dead,  but  soon  arose. 
All  the  congregation  were  dumb  with  fear  and  amazement. 
Zamula  and  Abram  were  passing  out. 

Suddenly  a  blood  curdling  shriek  was  heard.  Shriek  after 
shriek  resounded  through  the  dome  of  the  temple.  It  was 
Istar. 

Now  in  the  precincts  of  the  temple  there  was  an  under- 
ground den  of  serpents.  Victims  were  often  cast  alive  to 
these  serpents.  It  sometimes  happened  that  a  vestal  virgin 
broke  her  vows,  by  wishing  to  wed,  and  when  it  was  dis- 
covered that  she  secretly  but  truly  loved  a  young  man,  she 
and  the  young  man  were  cast  alive  into  this  den  of  snakes. 

*   "When  thou   walkest  through  the  fire,  thou   shalt  not  be  burned. 
When    thou    passest    through    the    flame    it    shall    not    kindle    upon 
thee."   Isa.   43  :2. 


THE  TEMPLE  53 

One  of  the  huge  snakes  had  broke  loose  at  the  time  of 
Abram's  deliverance,  and  with  a  stealthy  spring  had  fastened 
its  coils  about  Istar's  waist.  The  captor  was  a  captive  now, 
doomed  to  the  same  horrible  death  to  which  she  had  con- 
signed so  many  of  her  victims.  She  and  those  with  her  had 
cherished  the  deadly  poison  that  withers  the  soul,  the  deadly 
poison  of  doubt,  the  denial  of  God's  existence.  Now  came 
death  as  sudden  and  fierce  as  the  leap  of  the  desert  panther 
upon  its  prey. 

Zamula  and  Abram,  with  attendants,  made  haste  and  were 
soon  at  the  poet's  home.  Sarai  and  the  other  maidens  had 
remained  at  home,  waiting  with  mingled  hope  and  fear.  And 
now  when  they  saw  Abram  with  Zamula,  their  joy  and 
amazement  was  simply  indescribable. 

It  was  very  late  that  night  when  all  retired  for  rest.  But 
Zamula  could  not  sleep.  He  was  face  to  face  with  a  crisis — 
even  the  crisis  of  his  existence,  the  moment  had  come  for  him 
to  decide:  The  God  of  Abram  had  decidedly  proven  his  ex- 
istence in  demonstration  of  divine  wrath  against  the  cruel 
power  of  force  and  had  delivered  his  servant  who  trusted  in 
Him. 

Yet  Zamula  was  gloomy,  shadows  deep  and  dark  were  all 
about  him;  for  to  believe  in  God  would  mean  more  than  a 
change  of  garment,  or  a  change  of  opinion.  He  had  never 
prayed.  He  thought  of  Abram,  and  now  he  prayed.  His 
prayer  was  mingled  with  intelligent  thought  and  became  the 
medium  by  which  the  soul  is  brought  in  contact  with  the 
Infinite  on  high.  The  shadows  fled,  all  heaviness  was  gone, 
and  a  calm,  quiet  assurance  filled  his  soul.    Difficult  to  ex- 


54  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES  ' 

plain,  but  it  was  a  new  life,  it  was  another  life.  The  Master 
made  it  plain.  Seekers  of  God  in  all  ages  and  all  climes 
have  understood  the  secret. 

Radiant  and  charming  was  the  morn  that  broke  in  upon 
that  peaceful  household,  but  the  soul  of  Zamula  was  more 
radient  than  all  nature,  a  vast  dawn  of  ideas  had  illuminated 
his  mind  by  whch  was  swept  away  the  prejudices,  the  wraths, 
the  fictions,  and  the  systems  which  had  been  inculcated  in  his 
mind  from  infancy. 

Zamula  gave  command  and  all  the  household,  the  maidens 
and  the  servants,  assembled  in  the  banquet  hall,  for  they 
were  to  hear  good  news. 

Zamula  with  glowing  heart  and  illuminated  countenance 
told  them  that  the  power  by  which  Abram  had  been  saved 
from  the  fiery  sacrifice,  is  the  creator  and  true  King,  and  that 
his  allegiance  should  be  to  Him  henceforth,  forever. 

Furthermore,  that  they  are  all  his  brethren,  even  the  little 
valets  with  their  curly  heads  and  dusky  skins,  and  many  other 
things  he  said  to  them,  causing  light  to  enter  the  darkness  of 
their  understanding. 

And  when  they  understood  that  they  were  no  longer 
slaves,  they  could  not  refrain  giving  loud  expression  to  the 
joy  and  gladness  that  thrilled  them  through  and  through. 

After  a  little  while  Zamula  stood  up  and  signaled  silence. 
He  was  instantly  obeyed. 

He  told  them  that  Sir  Abram  and  Sarai  were  eager  to  de- 
part for  their  home.  But  before  leaving,  their  marriage 
ceremony  would  take  place  and  that  another  couple  would  be 
united  at  the  same  time,  himself  and  Lorenya,  for  Lorenya 


THE  TEMPLE  55 

had  consented  to  become  his  wife,  and  that  preparations 
would  immediately  begin. 

Now,  who  of  them  would  choose  to  remain  and  serve 
them  ?  All,  with  the  exception  of  two  persons,  bad  tempered, 
who  understood  nothing  at  all,  would  be  happy  to  serve  the 
illustrious  Zamula  and  the  adorable  Lorenya. 

Soon  each  one  understood  what  he  was  to  do,  then  the  hum 
and  buzz  of  preparation  began. 

Rare  taste  and  simple  elegance  characterized  all  prepara- 
tion. The  style  of  the  cloaks,  robes  and  veils  was  that  of 
Grecian  simplicity,  with  a  touch  of  Oriental  gorgeousness. 

Sarai  and  Lorenya  were  dressed  alike  in  shimmering  white, 
with  pearl  ornaments  and  jeweled  diadems  on  their  hair. 
Their  veils  appeared  to  be  woven  moonbeams.  Their  maids 
wore  robes  of  pale  blue  with  sapphire  ornaments  and  wreaths 
of  flowers  on  their  hair. 

Zamula  and  Abram  were  arrayed  in  dark  brilliant  blue, 
with  collars  and  epaulets  of  white  adorned  with  diamonds. 
Their  cloaks  were  of  shimmering  pearl  white,  they  wore  myr- 
tle wreaths  on  their  hair,  their  belts  were  of  gold.  The  men 
attendants  were  dressed  in  carnation,  with  white  collars. 
They  wore  ivy  wreaths  in  their  hair. 

When  the  hour  was  come  for  the  wedded  pair  of  Ur  to 
start  on  their  journey,  several  camels  stood  at  the  gates.  Their 
covering  was  purple  and  gold.  The  one  for  Sarai  had  a 
canopy  draped  in  gold  color.  And  there  was  a  bodyguard 
waiting  at  the  gates;  this  consisted  of  two  hundred  soldiers 
clad  in  armour,  on  superb  horses,  mounted  and  panoplied. 
Messengers  had  gone  before  to  carry  the  good  tidings  to  the 


56  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

families  of  Abram  and  Sarai ;  and  they  would  be  gathered  to 
receive  the  exiled  home  again. 

Perfect  was  the  day  on  which  that  marvelous  procession 
passed  through  the  fertile  valley  of  the  Euphrates;  fanned 
by  the  gentle  summer  breezes,  laden  with  aroma  of  sweet 
odors  and  spices,  wafted  by  the  south  wind  from  Arabia  the 
happy. 

At  length  they  reached  their  home  city,  and  were  soon  at 
the  gates  of  the  palatial  residence  of  Sarai's  parents.  At  that 
moment  the  sun  was  resting  his  chin  upon  the  silvery  crest  of 
a  crimson  tinted  cloud,  smiling  as  he  was  about  to  drop  the 
curtains  of  night  upon  a  scene  of  greeting —  a  greeting,  the 
crowning  joy  of  a  perfect  day. 

FOOT  NOTE 

The  story  of  Abram  in  conflict  with  sun  worship  is  based 
only  upon  tradition,  but  it  serves  to  characterize  the  nature 
of  despotic  government  of  that  day,  and  the  clash  of  princi- 
ples that  existed  then  and  always,  even  to  the  present  hour. 

It  also  portrays  the  integrity  of  Abram  which  made  it  pos- 
sible for  him  to  fill  the  high  commission  to  which  he  was  sub- 
sequently called  of  God.  His  name  being  changed  to  Abra- 
ham. 


57 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  EMPIRE   FOUNDED  BY  NIMROD   EIGHT   HUNDRED  YEARS 

LATER 

"Nimrod's  ambition  was  continued  by  others  in  that  day, 
and  has  been  continued  to  the  present  hour.  But  it  was  a 
task ;  it  cost  a  mighty  and  long  continued  struggle  for  imperi- 
al power  so  to  fix  and  establish  itself  as  to  reign  in  undisputed 
sway. 

"Nimrod  began  it  and  after  him  others  continued  it  in 
Assyria,  Egypt,  later  Assyria  and  Babylon.  It, required  the 
exercise  of  all  the  power  of  all  these  dominions  in  succession 
to  establish  recognized  imperial  sway. 

"It  required  the  imperial  hammering  of  all  these  in  succes- 
sion to  subdue  the  native  love  and  assertion  of  individual 
God  given  freedom  in  mankind  that  it  would  at  last  submit 
unresisting  to  imperial  sway.  Yet  they  all  continued  it  for 
eight  hundred  years  reducing  the  people  to  the  condition  pre- 
sented in  the  Bible  in  the  Assyrian's  own  boast,  that  he  was 
enabled  to  gather  the  riches  of  the  people  as  one  gathers  eggs 
from  under  a  sitting  hen  when  she  is  so  subdued  that  she 
neither  'moved  the  wing  nor  opened  the  mouth  nor  peeped.* 
And  so  it  continued  until  the  Empire  of  Assyria  was  finally 
broken  down  by  a  concerted  revolt  of  Babylon,  Egypt  and 
Media. 

"Then  came  Nebuchadnezzar,  'the  terrible  of  the  nations,' 
and  the  conquests  made  by  this  'terrible  of  the  nations'  was 


58  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

indeed  so  terrible,  after  this  so  long  and  so  severe  pressure 
that  had  been  put  upon  them  by  Assyria,  that  at  last  they 
were  so  worn  by  the  perpetual  hammering  which  was  now 
heavier  than  all  in  the  strokes  of  this  'hammer  of  the  whole 
earth,'  that  they  yielded. 

"They  practically  acecpted  the  situation  as  one  which  could 
not  be  escaped,  and  sat  down  in  sullen  submission  to  one 
single  world  power. 

"Then  began  the  second  phase  of  history.  The  ambition 
for  empire  had  now  triumphed ;  and  now  it  was  to  be  demon- 
strated just  what  empire  in  full  and  undisputed  sway  would 
do. 

"What  Babylon  did  in  undisputed  sway  of  empire  was^ 
through  luxury  and  vice,  to  sink  herself  in  everlasting  ruin, 
in  only  twenty-three  years  from  the  death  of  Nebuchad- 
nezzar. 

"Then  worldly  empire  in  undisputed  sway  fell  to  Media 
and  Persia. 

"In  one  hundred  and  ninety-six  years,  this  power  from  ex- 
emplary temperance  and  sobriety,  fell  to  such  luxury  and  vice 
that  she,  too,  must  sink  forever :  to  be  succeeded  by  the  world 
empire  of  Grecia  in  undisputed  sway.  She,  too,  pursued  the 
same  course  to  the  end ;  to  be  in  turn  succeeded  by  the  world 
empire  of  Rome  in  undisputed  sway.  And  this  in  turn,  to 
pursue  the  same  course  in  the  same  way  and  to  the  same  end 
— annihilating  ruin. 

"Thus  world  empire  in  undisputed  sway  had  demonstrated 
in  the  fullest  possible  measure  and  in  intense  degree,  precisely 
what  it  would  do,  and  only  what  it  could  do,  when  exercised 


NIMROD'S  EMPIRE  CONTINUED  59 

in  fullest  and  absolutely  undisputed  measure. — ^The  Empires 
of  the  Bible,  pp.  18-20,  vs.  2-5. 

Rome  ruled  the  world  from  B.  C.  390 — A.  D.  410,  that 
is,  for  a  period  of  seven  hundred  and  ninety  years.  During 
that  time  no  hostile  foot,  other  than  that  of  a  prisoner  or 
suppliant  had  pressed  its  soil.  The  fullness  of  all  human 
vitality  was  concentrated  in  a  single  head,  all  the  world 
mounted  to  the  brain  of  one  man.  All  roads  led  to  Rome,  all 
power  flamed  from  it.  The  strong  man  was  at  rest  and  his 
goods  were  in  peace. 

But  such  is  not  the  plan  of  the  Supreme  and  Incorruptible 
Equity.  The  time  had  been  appointed  that  a  stronger  man 
should  appear.  "To  the  mighty  Rome,  God  sent  His  Son, 
to  make  perfectly  plain  the  way  of  righteousness  and  self 
government,  in  view  of  judgment  to  come.  And  when  this 
most  exalted  One  thus  humbled  Himself  and  came  to  show 
the  way.  He  came  saying  to  God,  His  Father,  *I  am  Thy 
servant  forever.*  " 

"I  delight  to  do  Thy  will,  O  Grod ;  yea  Thy  law  is  with- 
in my  heart."  "I  can  of  mine  own  self  do  nothing."  "The 
Father  that  dwelleth  in  me.  He  doth  the  work."  "My  doc- 
trine is  not  mine,  but  His  that  sent  me."  "He  gave  me  a 
commandment  what  I  should  say,  and  what  I  should  speak, 
I  came,  not  to  do  mine  own  will,  but  the  will  of  Him  that 
sent  me,  and  to  finish  His  work."  "Not  my  will,  but  Thine 
be  done."  This  He  did  all  of  His  own  free  eternal  choice. 
And  thus  He  not  only  showed  the  way,  "but  He  is  eternally 
'the  way*  of  true,  original  and  ultimate  government,  that  is 
self-government  under  God,  and  in  God.  This  government 
is  found  only  in  Christ.  "-Id.  He  took  away  the  leprosy  of  sin 


6o  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

without  taking  anything  from  the  human  mind.  He  presented 
the  future  with  the  star  of  Liberty  on  its  brow;  on  it  the 
glowing  eyes  of  all  generations  have  been  turned. 

The  light  that  He  shed  abroad  over  the  world,  was  a  re- 
vealer  of  dark  secrets  under  the  throne.  This  disquieted  the 
strong  man.    He  could  not  rest,  and  he  grew  very  angry. 

Officers  were  sent  to  arrest  the  great  Teacher,  and  when 
they  came  and  were  in  the  presence  of  the  serene  Majesty, 
they  stood  still  and  listened,  and  they  were  amazed  and 
charmed  at  the  gracious  words  that  fell  from  His  lips;  and 
they  went  away.  To  the  question,  "Why  have  ye  not  brought 
him?**  they  simply  replied,  "Never  man  spake  like  this  man.** 

Then  all  the  power  of  earth  arose  to  destroy  Him,  and  to 
crush  out  of  existence  the  living  principles  which  He  taught. 

They  crucified  Him,  and  made  His  body  secure  with  the 
seal  of  the  mighty  Rome  in  Joseph's  new  tomb. 

But  that  did  not  prevent  Him  from  making  good  an  ap- 
pointment which  He  had  made  with  His  disciples.  "Then 
the  disciples  went  away  into  Galilee,  into  a  mountain  where 
Jesus  had  appointed  them.  And  Jesus  came  and  spake  unto 
them,  saying,  'All  power  is  given  to  me  in  heaven  and  in 
earth.    Go  ye  therefore  and  teach  all  nations.'  " 

Thus  He  sent  forth  an  army  of  school  masters,  the  only 
army  that  civilization  acknowledges. 


6i 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  MIGHTY  ONE 

This  drama  is  a  winged  march  through  the  ages ;  its  halt- 
ing places  are  at  crises  in  the  history  of  humanity.  The  lead- 
ing personage  is  God;  the  second  is  man;  and  there  is  a 
third.  The  third  person  in  this  drama  is  his  majesty  the  Evil 
One. 

When  Rome,  which  had  come  to  be  regarded  as  the  eternal 
city,  and  whose  majesty  awed  the  world,  fell,  and  was  sacked 
by  the  furious  Gauls,  there  was  then  no  more  centralized 
power. 

Then  that  mysterious  genius  of  ambition  for  empire  did  not 
know  what  to  do.  So  he  went  down  by  the  seaside ;  and  there 
on  the  sands  of  the  sea,  he  stood  and  meditated.  Soon  he 
saw  a  strange  thing  rise  up  out  of  the  sea. 

Of  those  who  had  gone  forth  as  teachers  of  Christianity, 
there  were  many  who  did  not  understand  Christ  at  all,  these 
loved  Eminence,  and  they  sought  for  places  of  Preeminence. 
Then  said  the  evil  one,  I  will  be  a  Christian,  too,  I  will  join 
myself  to  them.  Then  Constantine  ma^e  a  law  that  Chris- 
tians should  rest  upon  the  "Venerable  day  of  the  Sun." 

The  throne  of  the  Caesars  was  displaced  for  the  chair  of 
St.  Peter.  A  man  was  exalted  in  the  place  of  God,  a  woman 
in  the  place  of  Christ  and  tradition  in  the  place  of  the  Bible. 
The  man  of  sin  had  taken  the  name  and  the  throne  of  his 
discarded  rival,  even  assuming  the  name  of  the  church  of  the 


62  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

Bible — "Holy  Catholic  Church,"  it  is  also  known  in  history 
as  the  Holy  Roman  Empire. 

But  it  was  ancient,  unhealthy,  poisonous;  it  was  the  ser- 
pent's change  of  skin. 

"Then  came  the  third  phase  of  history;  and  it  is  still  apos- 
tasy and  empire.  No  lesson  was  learned  by  men,  of  the  es- 
sential vanity  of  empire;  so  that  in  the  presence  of  the  best 
opportunity  ever  offered  since  the  peopling  of  the  earth  after 
the  flood,  no  attempt  was  made  to  recognize  the  individuality 
of  man,  and  to  cultivate  this,  in  recognition  of  God,  and  to 
the  true  glory  of  God  and  man.  But  the  apostate  church, 
which  professed  to  be  in  the  world  for  this  very  purpose,  and 
which  still  remained  amidst  the  ruins  of  the  vanished  Roman 
empire,  instead  of  taking  this  position  in  the  world,  and  ap- 
pealing to  and  building  upon  this  principle  in  men,  simply 
exalted  herself  in  the  same  old  sinful  ambition  of  imperial 
world  power. 

"Into  this  she  deceived  herself  by  the  seduction  that  in  all 
these  instances  of  the  past,  empire  had  fallen  of  itself,  and  had 
failed  to  save  the  world,  'because  the  rulers  were  bad,  and  be- 
cause the  system  was  only  of  the  world  itself.*  'But  if  there 
could  be  the  reign  of  the  'good  people'  and  the  system  be  not 
of  the  world  but  of  'the  church,'  this  being  empire  which  both 
in  itself  and  in  its  essential  system  was  divine,  'must  certainly 
bless  and  save  the  world.'  "  "Only  let  us,  the  good  people, 
have  the  power.  Let  the  men  of  God  — the  bishops — have 
dominion.  Recognize  their  authority.  Let  them  with  the 
dictates  of  the  church  have  full  sway.  Then  the  government 
and  empire  will  be  but  the  kingdom  of  God  itself.    The  em- 


THE  MIGHTY  ONE  63 

pire  being  the  Kingdom  of  God,  the  capital  city  of  the 
church,  being  the  capital  city  of  the  Kingdom  of  God,  will 
be  the  very  city  of  God, — the  eternal  city." — Id.,  pp.  20, 
pars.  I,  2,  3. 

"The  ancient  Franks  until  the  time  of  Clovis,  were  all 
pagans.  In  A.  D.  496,  Clovis  professed  conversion.  In  the 
beautiful  Cathedral  of  Rheims,  with  all  the  solemn  splendor 
and  magnificence  of  the  papal  ritual,  the  ferocious  warriors 
of  the  terrible  army  which  followed  this  monarch  were  en- 
rolled in  the  ranks  of  the  church  militant.  Clovis  himself 
was  anointed  with  'Celestial  oil,'  which,  we  are  gravely  told, 
was  borne  from  heaven  to  earth  in  a  vial,  a  snow  white  dove 
being  the  carrier.  Clovis  and  three  thousand  of  his  troops 
were  there  baptized,  and  their  example  was  followed  by  the 
remainder  of  the  'gentle  barbarians.'  The  baptismal  sermon 
was  performed  with  the  utmost  pomp.  The  church  was 
hung  with  embroidered  tapestry  and  white  curtains,  floods 
of  incense,  like  airs  of  paradise,  were  diffused  around;  the 
building  blazed  with  countless  lights.  When  the  new  Con- 
stantine  knelt  in  that  font  to  be  cleansed  from  his  heathenism, 
'Fierce  Sicambrian,'  said  the  bishop,  bow  thy  neck;  burn 
what  thou  hast  adored,  adore  what  thou  hast  burned.'  " 

Later,  during  the  religious  conference,  the  bishop  dwelt  on 
the  cruelty  of  the  Jews,  at  the  death  of  our  Lord.  Clovis 
was  moved,  but  not  to  tenderness. 

"Had  I  and  my  faithful  Franks  been  there,"  said  he,  "they 
had  not  dared  to  do  it." 

"The  adoption  of  the  Catholic  faith,  arrayed  upon  the  side 
of  the  Frank,  all  the  papal  prelates  and  their  followers.  From 
one  end  of  the  Roman  empire  to  the  other,  of  all  the  princes 


64  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

and  sovereigns  of  Christendom,  Clovis  alone  was  orthodox. 

"The  Franks  were  the  chosen  champions  of  Catholicism, 
and  amply  was  their  gallantry  repaid  by  the  church,  which 
vindicated  all  their  aggression  upon  innocent  neighboring 
kingdoms,  and  aided  in  every  way  the  consolidation  of  their 
formidable  power. 

"The  French  monarch  received  the  title,  'Most  Christian 
Majesty,'  and  'Eldest  Son  of  the  Church.'  Later,  during 
the  days  of  Pepin,  the  pope  himself  visited  France,  and  in 
the  monastery  of  St.  Denis,  placed  the  diadem  on  Pepin, 
anointing  his  head  with  oil  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  making 
him  King  by  divine  right :  and  truly  has  the  historian  Michlet 
said,  'This  monarchy  of  Pepin,  founded  by  the  priests,  was 
devoted  to  the  priests.' 

"The  result  of  the  reign  of  the  so-called  'best  people'  of 
the  earth  was  simply  the  worst  oppression,  the  fiercest  des- 
potism, and  the  most  terrible  hammering  that  was  ever  put 
upon  any  people  by  any  power  on  the  earth.  For  this  was  a 
despotism  over  both  body  and  soul,  and  demonstrated  itself 
to  be  simply  an  unmitigated  curse,  politically,  socially  and 
morally."  Id.  p.  2i,  par.  2. 

This  was  a  church  kingdom  which  ruled  the  kings  of  earth. 
At  the  anathemas  of  the  Pope,  the  proudest  monarchs  of 
Europe  trembled  and  grew  pale.  Witness  King  Henry 
IV.  of  Germany,  making  his  way  over  the  Alps  in  the  cold  of 
winter  unprotected,  to  seek  reconciliation  with  the  Pope 
whom  he  had  offended;  and  when  he  arrived  at  Rome,  he 
was  told  that  the  Pope  was  at  Cannosa,  visiting  a  widow,  a 
friend  of  his.  Then  to  Cannosa,  King  Henry  went,  there 
he  stood  three  days  in  the  cold,  barefoot  with  head  uncovered. 


THE  MIGHTY  ONE  65 

To  the  questions,  "Are  you  not  cold  ?" 

"Yes,  I  am  very  cold." 

"Have  you  no  shoes,  no  hat,  etc.?" 

"Yes,  I  have  a  jeweled  crown,  jeweled  shoes  and  many 
rich  robes." 

"Why  do  you  not  wear  them?" 

"The  Pope  is  angry  with  me." 

"Well,  who  are  you?" 

"I  am  King  Henry  of  Germany." 

"But  man,  why  do  you  not  call  your  servants,  and  why 
do  you  not  command  your  armies?" 

"My  servants  will  not  come  at  my  call,  and  my  armies 
will  not  obey  me.  They  believe  that  the  Pope  has  all  power 
on  earth  above  all  kings  and  that  he  can  punish  whom  he 
will,  in  this  present  world,  not  only  that,  they  believe  also 
that  he  holds  the  keys  to  the  world  to  come,  that  he  has  all 
power  over  heaven  and  hell,  that  he  can  open  and  shut  these 
for  whomsoever  he  will." 

By  assuming  to  recognize  the  power  absolute  of  the  Pope, 
Henry  obtained  reconciliation. 

This  one  instance  serves  to  illustrate  the  fact  that  all  Eu- 
rope was  filled  with  these  ideas  of  the  absolute  power  of  the 
visible  church. 

That  the  thinking  principle  in  man  can  be  thrust  down, 
dragged,  pinioned  there  by  obscure  tyrannies  of  fatality,  that 
it  can  be  bound  by  no  one  knows  what  fetters  in  that  abyss, 
is  sufficient  to  create  consternation. 

Yet  such  was  the  conquest  of  the  human  mind  during  the 
"Dark  Ages." 

Let  us,  who  now  live  in  the  blazing  light  of  the  noonday 


66  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

sun,  place  ourselves  by  imagination  in  that  day,  and  hear  the 
cry, — ^Alas:  will  no  one  come  to  the  succor  of  the  human 
soul  in  that  darkness  ?  Will  she  forever  summon  in  vain  the 
lance  of  light  of  the  ideal?  Is  she  condemned  to  hear  the 
fearful  approach  of  Evil  through  the  density  of  the  gulf,  and 
to  catch  glimpses,  nearer  and  nearer,  beneath  the  hideous 
water,  of  that  dragon's  head,  that  mane  streaked  with  foam, 
and  that  writhing  undulation  of  claws,  swellings  and  rings? 
Must  it  remain  there,  without  a  gleam  of  light,  without  a 
hope,  given  over  to  that  terrible  approach,  shuddering,  wring- 
ing its  arms  forever,  chained  to  the  rock  of  night,  naked  amid 
the  shadows?  Will  not  the  truth,  the  daylight  of  the  soul 
come  ?  Is  she  destined  to  await  forever  the  mind,  the  libera- 
tor, the  combatant  or  hero  of  the  dawn,  who  shall  descend 
from  the  azure  between  two  wings,  the  radiant  knight  of  the 
future.  In  the  darkness  of  that  night,  behold,  John  Huss 
on  bended  knees,  his  arms  outstretched  to  heaven,  imploringly 
inquiring : 

Is  that  the  church  established  by  the  Master,  while  here 
on  earth  ?  Is  that  the  way  he  meant  when  he  sent  forth  his 
army  of  schoolmasters,  that  they  should  do  and  teach  ? 

To  John  Huss  the  light  came:  his  mind  was  directed  to 
the  Scriptures  in  reply  to  that  question.  Is  that  the  church 
of  the  Bible?  The  description  given  in  the  Bible  of  that 
church,  is,  "the  man  of  Sin,"  "the  son  of  perdition,"  "the 
mystery  of  iniquity,"  that  wicked  "Babylon  the  great,  the 
mother  of  harlots  and  abominations  of  the  earth,"  and  "the 
beast"  that  would  "wear  out  the  saints  of  the  Most  High." 

"John  Huss  thought  that  the  Pope  would  be  glad  to  know 
the  truth  and  he  went  to  Rome,  to  tell  it  to  him,  but  instead 


THE  MIGHTY  ONE  67 

of  gladly  receiving  the  message,  he  caused  Huss  to  be  put  in 
prison.  Later,  he  was  condemned  to  be  burned  at  the  stake 
because  he  taught  that  the  Roman  Catholic  church  is  not  the 
church  of  the  Bible.  Huss,  in  the  dungeon,  in  chains,  just 
before  his  death,  dreamed  that  certain  persons  had  resolved  to 
destroy  in  the  night,  all  the  pictures  of  Christ  that  were  on 
the  walls  of  Bethlehem  chapel,  in  Prague,  where  he  used  to 
preach ;  and  that,  indeed,  they  did  destroy  them. 

''But  the  next  day  many  painters  were  engaged  in  drawing 
more  pictures,  and  more  beautiful  ones,  than  were  there  be- 
fore ;  upon  which  Huss  gazed  in  rapture.  When  the  painters 
had  finished,  they  turned  to  the  company  of  people  who  were 
looking  on,  and  said,  'Now,  let  the  bishops  and  priests  come 
and  destroy  these  pictures.* 

"And  a  great  multitude  of  people  joyed  over  it ;  and  Huss 
rejoiced  with  them.  And  in  the  midst  of  the  laughter  and 
rejoicing  he  awoke. 

"There  were  no  real  pictures  of  Christ  on  the  walls  of 
Bethlehem  Chapel.  There  were  inscribed  only  the  Ten 
Commandments,  The  Lord's  Prayer,  and  single  verses  of 
precious  scripture. 

"Of  the  dream,  Huss  said,  'I  hope  that  the  life  of  Christ 
which,  by  my  preaching  in  Bethlehem,  has  been  transcribed 
upon  the  hearts  of  men,  and  which  they  meant  to  destroy 
there,  first,  by  forbidding  preaching  in  the  chapels  and  in 
Bethlehem ;  next  by  tearing  down  Bethlehem  itself,  that  this 
life  of  Christ  shall  be  better  transcribed  by  a  greater  number 
of  better  preachers  than  I  am;  to  the  joy  of  the  people  who 
love  the  life  of  Christ.  Over  which  I  shall  rejoice  when  I 
am  awake;  that  is,  rise  from  the  dead.' 


68  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

"And  as  he  stood  at  the  stake,  made  fast  to  it  by  a  chain, 
he  said,  'It  is  thus  that  you  silence  the  goose  * ;  but  a  hundred 
years  hence  there  will  arise  a  swan  whose  singing  you  shall 
not  be  able  to  silence.' 

"Matthias  of  Janow,  as  he  was  dying,  said  to  his  sorrowing 
friends:  "The  rage  of  the  enemies  of  the  truth  now  prevails 
against  us;  but  it  will  not  be  forever.  There  shall  arise  one 
from  among  the  common  people,  without  sword  or  authority, 
and  against  him  they  shall  not  be  able  to  prevail." 

The  hundred  years  passed.  And  then  came  from  among 
the  Monks,  the  "swan"  of  Huss,  the  one  from  "the  common 
people"  of  Matthias,  Martin  Luther. 

It  was  on  July  6,  141 6,  that  John  Huss  was  burned  at  the 
stake. 

"On  the  morning  of  October  31,  15 17,  the  Elector  Fred- 
erick of  Saxony  in  his  Castle  Schweinitz,  about  eighteen  miles 
from  Wittemberg,  related  to  his  brother,  Duke  John,  and 
his  chancellor,  the  following  experience: 

The  Elector — "Brother,  I  must  tell  you  a  dream  which 
I  had  last  night,  the  meaning  of  which  I  should  like  much  to 
know.  It  is  so  deeply  impressed  on  my  mind,  that  I  will 
never  forget  it  were  I  to  live  a  thousand  years.  For  I 
dreamed  it  thrice  and  each  time  with  new  circumstances." 

Duke  John — "Is  it  a  good  or  a  bad  dream?" 

The  Elector — "I  know  not;  God  knows." 

Duke  John — "Don't  be  uneasy  about  it,  but  be  so  good 
as  to  tell  it  to  me." 

The  Elector — "Having  gone  to  bed  last  night,  fatigued 
and  out  of  spirits,  I  fell  asleep  shortly  after  my  prayer,  and 

*  The  word  "Huss"  in  the  Bohemian  lansruase  is  equivalent  to  goose. 


THE  MIGHTY  ONE  69 

slept  quietly  for  about  two  hours  and  a  half.  I  then  awoke, 
and  continued  awake  till  midnight,  all  sorts  of  thoughts 
passing  through  my  mind.  Among  other  things,  I  thought 
how  I  was  to  observe  the  feast  of  all  saints.  I  prayed  for  the 
poor  souls  in  purgatory;  and  supplicated  God  to  guide  my 
counsels,  and  my  people,  according  to  the  truth. 

"I  again  fell  asleep,  and  then  dreamed  that  Almighty  God 
sent  me  a  Monk,  who  was  a  true  Son  of  the  Apostle  Paul. 
All  the  saints  accompanied  him  by  order  of  God,  in  order  to 
bear  testimony  before  me,  and  to  declare  that  he  did  not 
come  to  contrive  any  plot,  but  that  all  that  he  did  was  ac- 
cording to  the  will  of  God.  They  asked  me  to  have  the 
goodness  to  graciously  permit  him  to  write  something  on 
the  door  of  the  church  of  the  castle  of  Wittemberg.  This  I 
granted  through  my  chancellor. 

"Thereupon,  the  Monk  went  to  the  church,  and  began  to 
write  in  such  large  characters  that  I  could  read  the  writing 
at  Schweinitz.  The  pen  which  he  used  was  so  large,  that  its 
end  reached  as  far  as  Rome,  where  it  pierced  the  ears  of  the 
lion  that  was  crouching  there;  and  caused  the  triple  crown 
upon  the  head  of  the  pope  to  shake.*  All  the  cardinals  and 
princes,  running  hastily  up,  tried  to  prevent  it  from  falling. 
You  and  I,  brother,  wished  also  to  assist;  and  I  stretched 
out  my  arm,  but  at  this  moment  I  awoke,  with  my  arm  in 
the  air,  quite  amazed,  and  very  much  enraged  at  the  Monk 
for  not  managing  his  pen  better,  I  recollected  myself  a  lit- 
tle.   It  was  only  a  dream. 

"I  was  still  half  asleep,  and  once  more  closed  my  eyes. 
The  dream  returned.     The  lion,  still  annoyed  by  the  pen, 

♦  Leo  X.  was  then  Pope.  • 


70  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

began  to  roar  with  all  his  might;  so  much  so  that  the  whole 
city  of  Rome  and  all  the  states  of  the  holy  empire  ran  to  see 
what  the  matter  was.  The  pope  requested  them  to  oppose 
the  monk,  and  applied  particularly  to  me  on  account  of  his 
being  in  my  country.  I  again  awoke  and  repeated  the  Lord's 
prayer,  entreated  God  to  preserve  his  holiness,  and  once  more 
fell  asleep. 

"Then  I  dreamed  that  all  the  princes  of  the  empire,  and 
we  among  them,  hastened  to  Rome  and  strove  one  after  an- 
other to  break  the  pen.  But  the  more  we  tried  the  stiffer  it 
became,  sounding  as  if  it  had  been  made  of  iron.  We  at 
length  desisted.  I  then  asked  the  Monk  (for  I  was  some- 
times at  Rome  and  sometimes  at  Wittemberg)  where  he  got 
the  pen,  and  why  it  was  so  strong?  'The  pen,'  he  replied, 
'belonged  to  an  old  goose  of  Bohemia — a  hundred  years  old. 
I  got  it  from  one  of  my  school  masters.  As  to  its  strength, 
it  is  owing  to  the  impossibility  of  depriving  it  of  its  pith  and 
marrow;  and  I  am  quite  astonished  at  it  myself.' 

"Suddenly  I  heard  a  loud  noise — a  large  number  of  other 
pens  had  sprung  out  of  the  long  pen  of  the  Monk. 

"I  awoke  the  third  time;  it  was  daylight." 

Duke  John — "Chancellor,  what  is  your  opinion?  Would 
we  had  a  Joseph  or  a  Daniel  enlightened  by  God." 

The  Chancellor — "Your  highness  knows  the  common 
proverb,  that  the  dreams  of  young  girls,  learned  men  and 
great  lords  have  usually  some  hidden  meaning.  The  mean- 
ing of  this  dream,  however,  we  will  not  be  able  to  know  for 
some  time, — not  till  the  things  to  which  it  relates  have  taken 
place.  Wherefore,  leave  the  accomplishment  to  God,  and 
place  it  wholly  in  His  hand." 


THE  MIGHTY  ONE  71 

Duke  John — "I  am  of  your  opinion,  Chancellor,  'tis  not 
fit  for  us  to  annoy  ourselves  in  attempting  to  discover  the 
meaning.     "God  will  overrule  all  for  His  glory." 

The  Elector— "May  our  faithful  God  do  so.  Yet,  I  shall 
never  forget  this  dream.  I  have  indeed  thought  of  an  in- 
terpretation;  but  I  keep  it  to  myself.  Time,  perhaps,  will 
show  if  I  have  been  a  good  diviner." 

At  noon  of  that  very  day,  the  interpretation  began,  the 
meaning  to  be  made  plain.  For  at  that  hour,  without  having 
made  known  to  anybody  his  intentions,  the  Monk,  Martin 
Luther,  nailed  to  the  door  of  Wittemberg  church  his  ninety- 
five  theses  against  Rome. 

"The  Reformation  had  arisen,  never  more  to  be  put  down. 
Luther  in  Germany,  Zwingle  in  Switzerland,  and  soon  others 
with  these  and  ever5rwhere,  to  the  joy  of  a  great  multitude, 
were  engaged  in  restoring  the  image  of  Christ  in  the  lives  of 
men. 

"And  among  the  laughing  and  rejoicing  peoples,  there 
were  two  hundred  congregations  of  reformation  Christians 
in  Bohemia,  who  were  descended  through  the  long  night  and 
had  watched  eagerly  for  the  promised  day. 

"What  it  meant  to  all,  was  summed  up  in  words  and 
sounded  forth  in  the  voice  of  one  in  curious  garb,  holding 
aloft  a  large  cross,  and  chanting  in  a  tone  that  seemed  fitted 
to  cause  the  dead  to  hear,  as  Luther  entered  the  city  of 
Worms : — 

"Thou  art  come,  O  desired  one:  thou  for  whom  we  have 
longed  and  waited." 

"Through  a  hundred  years  the  Roman  church  has  demon- 
strated that  for  the  reformation,  for  the  church  and  Chris- 


72  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

tfanfty  which  the  Reformation  revealed,  she  holds  only  per- 
petual enmity.  In  this  additional  field,  the  field  of  the  strict- 
ly spiritual,  the  Roman  church  had  further  proved  to  all  the 
world  the  truth  that  the  reformers  preached,  that  she  is  not 
the  true  church  in  any  feature  nor  in  any  sense." 

It  was  the  Reformation  that  blazed  the  way  for  the  ap- 
pearance of  "Columbia,  Queen  o'  the  Nations." 


73 


CHAPTER  VII. 
THE  SEQUEL 

THEN  CAME  THE  REVOLUTION 
COLUMBIA 

"In  the  year  1743,  in  a  Boston  town  meeting,  behold  Sam- 
uel Adams  tribune  of  New  England  against  Old  England, 
of  America  against  Europe,  of  Liberty  against  Despotism. 

"Thirty-three  years  before  the  declaration  of  Independence, 
Samuel  Adams  declared,  in  a  latin  discourse,  the  first  flashes 
of  the  fire  that  blazed  in  Fanuel  Hall  and  kindled  America, 
that  it  is  lawful  to  resist  the  supreme  magistrate  if  the  com- 
monwealth cannot  otherwise  be  preserved.  He  struck  the 
keynote  of  American  Independence  which  still  stirs  the  heart 
of  man  with  its  music. 

"The  fire  kindled  was  from  a  coal  brought  to  earth  by  an 
angel's  hand  with  the  tongs  from  the  altar  in  heaven 

"The  people  of  the  new  land  with  high  hopes  had  left  the 
old  world  in  order  to  escape  the  tyranny  of  priests  and  kings. 
They  said,  'Of  priests  and  kings  we  have  seen  enough;  we 
will  govern  ourselves.'  Old  England  said,  'You  must  come 
under  our  system  and  we  will  rule  over  you.' 

"Then  the  embattled  farmers  at  Lexington  and  Concord 
opened  fire  at  the  tyrant  and  the  battle  of  the  ages  was  on. 

"From  the  bed  of  her  revolutionary  birth,  a  republic  arose, 
founded  upon  the  principles  announced  by  Jesus  Christ.     It 


74  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

was  the  first  government  of  that  kind  to  appear  in  the  history 
of  nations. 

"It  was  with  amazement  that  the  kingdoms  of  the  old 
world  beheld  the  appearance  of  Columbia,  Queen  o'  the 
Nations,  majestic  in  her  beautiful  robe  of  precious  principles. 

"No  true  child  of  the  United  States,  looking  back  to  the 
days  of  the  nation's  birth  can  refrain  from  a  feeling  of  joy 
and  pride.  The  purity  of  the  lives  of  *the  fathers,'  the  lofti- 
ness of  their  principles  and  precepts,  and  the  rectitude  of  their 
intentions,  challenge  our  admiration.  The  peace  which  comes 
with  evening  fills  our  breasts  as  we  meditate  upon  the  early 
hours  of  the  Western  Republic. 

"The  founders  of  the  United  States  were  not  filled  with 
greed  and  lust  for  power.  These  were  not  the  motives  which 
buoyed  up  the  hearts  of  the  colonists  during  the  long  and 
weary  years  of  the  revolution.  A  far  different  light  than  this 
flashed  from  the  heart  anvils  at  Valley  Forge.  They  only 
asked  that  their  inalienable  rights  to  life,  liberty  and  the  pur- 
suit of  happiness  be  accorded  them.  With  that  calm  deter- 
mination which  lights  up  martyrs'  faces  they  refer  to  the 
Supreme  Judge  of  the  world  as  to  the  rectitude  of  their  in- 
tentions. And  for  the  support  of  the  principles  which  they 
declared,  with  a  firm  reliance  upon  the  protection  of  divine 
Providence,  they  grandly  said,  Ve  mutually  pledge  to  each 
other  our  lives,  our  fortunes,  and  our  sacred  honor.' 

"Witness  the  father  of  his  country  stipulating  that  no  pay 
should  ever  be  given  him  for  his  services.  Listen  to  the 
Christian  modesty  of  his  first  inaugural  address. 

"  'Among  the  vicissitudes  incident  to  life,  no  event  could 
have  filled  me  with  greater  anxieties  than  that  of  which  the 


COLUMBIA  75 

notification  was  transmitted  by  your  order,  and  received  on 
the  fourteenth  day  of  the  present  month.' 

"  'On  the  one  hand  I  was  summoned  by  my  country,  whose 
voice  I  can  never  hear  but  with  veneration  and  love,  from  a 
retreat  which  I  had  chosen  with  the  fondest  predilection,  and 
in  my  asylum  of  declining  years,  a  retreat  which  was  ren- 
dered every  day  more  necessary,  as  well  as  dear  to  me  by  the 
addition  of  habit,  of  inclination  and  of  frequent  interrup- 
tions in  my  health,  to  gradual  waste  committed  on  it  by  time." 

"  *On  the  other  hand,  the  magnitude  and  difficulty  of  the 
trust  to  which  the  voice  of  my  country  called  being  sufficient 
to  awaken  in  the  wisest  and  most  experienced  of  her  citizens, 
a  distrust  in  his  qualifications,  inheriting  inferior  endow? 
ments  from  nature,  and  unpracticed  in  the  duties  of  civil 
administration,  one  ought  to  be  peculiarly  conscious  of  his 
own  deficiencies.  In  this  conflict  of  emotions  all  I  dared  to 
aver  is  that  it  has  been  my  faithful  study  to  collect  my  duty 
from  a  just  appreciation  of  every  circumstance  by  which  it 
might  be  affected.' 

"  'Such  being  the  impression  under  which  I  have,  in  obe- 
dience to  the  public  summons,  repaired  to  the  present  station, 
it  would  be  peculiarly  improper  to  omit  in  this  first  official 
act,  my  fervent  supplications  to  that  Almighty  Being  who 
rules  over  the  universe,  who  presides  in  the  councils  of  nations, 
and  whose  providential  aids  can  supply  every  human  defect, 
that  His  benediction  may  consecrate  to  the  liberties  and  hap- 
piness of  the  people  of  the  United  States,  a  government  in- 
stituted by  themselves,  for  these  essential  purposes,  and  may 
enable  every  instrument  employed  in  its  administraton  to  ex- 
ecute with  success  the  functions  allotted  to  his  charge.' 


76  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

"  *In  tendering  this  homage  to  the  Author  of  every  public 
and  private  good,  I  assure  myself  that  it  expresses  your  senti- 
ments not  less  than  my  own,  nor  those  of  my  fellow  citizens 
at  large  less  than  either.  No  people  can  be  found  to  ac- 
knowledge and  adore  the  invisible  hand  which  conducts  the 
affairs  of  men  more  than  those  of  the  United  States.  Every 
step  by  which  they  have  advanced  to  the  character  of  an  inde- 
pendent nation,  seems  to  have  been  distinguished  by  some  token 
of  providential  agency;  and  in  the  important  revolution  just 
accomplished  in  the  system  of  their  united  government,  the 
tranquil  deliberation  and  voluntary  consent  of  so  many  dis- 
tinct communities  from  which  the  event  has  resulted  cannot 
be  compared  with  the  means  by  which  most  governments 
have  become  established  without  some  return  of  pious  grati- 
tude along  with  an  humble  anticipation  of  the  future  bless- 
ings which  the  past  seems  to  presage.' 

"  * — Having  thus  imparted  to  you  my  sentiments  as  they 
have  been  awakened  by  the  occasion  which  brings  us  together, 
I  shall  take  my  present  leave ;  but  not  without  resorting  once 
more  to  the  benign  Parent  of  the  human  race  in  humble  sup- 
plication, that,  since  He  has  favored  the  American  peo- 
ple with  opportunities  for  deliberating  in  perfect  tranquil- 
ity, and  dispositions  for  deciding  with  unparalleled  unanimity 
on  a  form  of  government  for  the  security  of  their  union,  and 
the  advancement  of  their  HAPPINESS,  so  His  divine  bless- 
ing may  be  equally  conspicuous  in  the  enlarged  views  on 
which  the  success  of  this  government  must  depend.'  " 

Everywhere,  and  in  every  way,  peace,  prayer  and  unanim 
ity  seemed  to  breathe  upon  the  birthday  of  the  United  States. 


COLUMBIA  77 

The  United  States  was  the  first  government  in  the  history 
of  nations  established  upon  principles. 

There  are  two  underlying  principles  upon  which  her  gov- 
ernment is  based  and  by  which  the  powers  of  governors  are 
limited.  These  two  principles  are  Republicanism  and  Pro- 
testantism.   They  are  defined  as  follows: 

First,  that  government  is  of  the  people.  This  is  the  es- 
sence of  Republicanism. 

Second,  that  government  is  of  right  entirely  separate  from 
religion.    This  is  the  essence  of  Protestantism. 

It  is  because  of  these  two  principles  that  the  sifted  wheat 
of  all  the  earth  has  sought  the  soil  of  these  United  States. 
It  is  because  of  the  two  precepts  of  power  that  the  United 
States  has  been  a  pleasant  land  in  which  to  live. 

These  two  things,  Protestantism  and  Republicanism,  are 
the  birthright  of  the  nineteenth  century.  They  are  the  exact 
opposite  of  the  systems  of  he  Old  World,  of  all  the  church  of 
Rome  has  ever  taught,  believed  or  practiced,  by  them  the 
very  foundation  stones  of  her  structure  were  undermined. 

The  Fathers  recognize  that  this  is  so.  On  that  mystic 
symbol  of  legal  government,  the  Great  Seal  of  the  United 
States,  this  nation  has  recorded  its  thoughts  concerning  it- 
self as  it  was  in  the  beginning.  On  this  seal  are  two  inscrip- 
tions. One  in  Latin,  ''Novus  Ordo  Seculorum" — a  new 
order  of  things;  the  other  in  English,  "God  hath  favored  the 
undertaking."  Republicanism  as  opposed  to  monarchy:  that 
government  is  of  right  of  the  people,  rather  than  the  divine 
right  of  kings,  is  the  first  principle  in  the  new  order  of  things. 
Protestantism  as  opposed  to  the  tenets  of  the  papacy,  that 


78  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

government  is  entirely  separate  from  religion,  is  the  second 
principle  in  the  new  order  of  things. 

"These  were  the  flaming  topics,  and  burning  questions  at 
the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century.  These  were  the  goodly 
heritage  of  the  nineteenth." — The  Battle  of  the  Gentry,  by 
P.  T.  Magan. 


79 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION 

On  the  fourth  day  of  July,  1789,  the  United  States  kept 
her  first  birthday  of  liberty  under  the  constitution.  Ten  days 
later,  (on  the  fourteenth  of  the  month),  the  French  Revolu- 
tion was  formally  opened  by  the  destruction  of  that  dread 
prison  fortress,  the  hated  Bastile  of  Paris;  and  to  this  day, 
the  fourteenth  of  July  is  reckoned  by  the  French  people  as 
the  birthday  of  liberty  in  their  land.  It  is  to  them  the  same 
as  the  "Glorious  Fourth"  is  to  the  people  of  the  United 
States. 

From  the  sacred  flame  of  American  kindling,  sparks  trav- 
ersed the  broad  Atlantic;  there  under  the  sunny  skies  of 
France,  the  land  of  romantic  story,  the  heather  caught  fire 
and  became  a  mighty  conflagration,  whose  progress  nothing 
could  check. 

"On  the  morning  of  July  fourteen,  one  thousand,  seven 
hundred  and  eighty-nine.  Saint  Antoine  was  a  dusky  mass  of 
scarecrows  heaving  to  and  fro,  with  frequent  gleams  of  light 
above  their  billowy  heads  where  steel  blades  and  bayonets 
shone  in  the  sun.  A  tremendous  roar  arose  from  the  throat 
of  Saint  Antoine,  and  a  forest  of  naked  arms  struggled  in  the 
air  like  leafless  branches  of  trees  in  a  winter  storm:  all  the 
fingers  convulsively  clutching  at  every  weapon  or  semblance 


8o  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

of  a  weapon  that  was  thrown  up  from  the  depths  below,  no 
matter  how  far  off. 

"Who  gave  them  out,  whence  they  last  came,  where  they 
began,  through  what  agency,  like  a  kind  of  lightning,  no  eye 
in  the  throng  could  have  told;  but  muskets  were  being  dis- 
tributed and  cartridges,  ball  and  powder — so  were  every 
weapon  that  distracted  ingenuity  could  discover  or  devise. 
People  who  could  lay  hold  of  nothing  else,  set  themselves 
with  bleeding  hands  to  force  stones  and  bricks  out  of  their 
places  in  walls.  Every  pulse  and  heart  in  Saint  Antoine  was 
on  fever-high  strain  and  at  high-fever  heat.  Every  living 
creature  there  held  life  as  no  account,  and  was  demented 
with  a  passionate  readiness  to  sacrifice  it. 

"  'Come,  then,'  cried  B ,  in  a  resounding  voice,  Tat- 

riots  and  friends,  we  are  ready.  The  Bastile.' 

"With  a  roar  that  sounded  as  if  all  the  breath  of  France 
had  been  shaped  into  that  detested  word,  the  living  sea  arose, 
wave  on  wave,  depth  on  depth,  and  overflowed  the  city  to 
that  place." 

The  sea  raging  and  thundering  on  its  new  beach,  the  at- 
tack began,  the  alarm  bells  ringing  and  the  drums  beating. 

Deep  ditches,  double  draw  bridges,  massive  stone  walls, 
eight  great  towers,  cannon,  muskets,  fire  and  smoke.  Through 
the  fire,  and  through  the  smoke,  in  the  fire  and  in  the  smoke, 

for  the  sea  cast  B ,  up  against  a  cannon,  and  immediately 

he  became  a  cannoneer,  four  fierce  hours  of  service  at  this 
gun,  a  white  flag  from  within  the  fortress,  and  a  parley,  this 
dimly  perceptible  through  the  raging  storm,  nothing  audible 
in  it — suddenly  the  sea  arose  wider  and  higher,  and  swept 
over  the  lowered  draw  bridge,  past  the  massive  outer  walls, 


THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION  8i 

in  among  the  eight  great  towers  surrendered.     The  Bastile 
fell. 

Ever3r^vhere  was  tumult,  exultation,  deafening  and  maniacal 
bewilderment,  astounding  noise,  yet  wild  dumb  show.  The 
prisoners:  all  scared: 

These  carried  high  on  men's  shoulders  appeared  more  like 
skeletons  of  lost  spirits  than  living  men. 

A  cloud  had  been  gathering  for  about  fifteen  hundred 
years ;  the  darkness  of  it  was  heavy  over  Saint  Antoine,  cold, 
dirt,  sickness,  ignorance,  and  want  were  the  lords  in  waiting 
on  the  saintly  presence.  Samples  of  people  that  had  under- 
gone a  terrible  grinding  and  re-grinding  in  the  mill  which 
ground  young  people  old,  shivered  at  every  corner,  passed  in 
and  out  at  every  doorway,  looked  from  every  window.  The 
children  had  ancient  faces  and  grave  voices  and  upon  them, 
and  upon  the  grown  faces,  and  ploughed  into  every  furrow  of 
age,  and  coming  up  afresh,  was  the  sign  "hunger."  It  was 
prevalent  ever>^vhere,  hunger  was  pushed  out  of  the  tall 
houses  in  the  wretched  clothing  that  hung  upon  poles  and 
lines;  hunger  was  patched  into  them  with  straw  and  rag, 
wool  and  paper;  hunger  was  repeated  in  every  fragment  of 
the  small  stick  of  firewood  that  the  man  sawed  off;  hunger 
stared  down  from  the  smokeless  chimneys,  and  stared  up 
from  the  filthy  street.  Hunger  stared  from  the  baker's 
shelves,  written  in  every  loaf  of  his  scanty  stock  of  bad  bread, 
at  the  sausage  shop  in  every  dead  dog  preparation  that  was  of- 
fered for  sale.  Hunger  was  shred  into  atoms  in  every  husky 
chip  of  potato  fried  with  some  reluctant  drops  of  oil. 

Its  abiding  place  was  in  all  things  fitted  to  it ;  narrow,  wind- 
ing streets  diverging,  all  peopled  by  rags  and  night  caps,  and 


82  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

all  smelling  of  rags  and  night  caps ;  and  all  visible  things  with 
a  brooding  look  upon  them  that  looked  ill. 

At  the  same  time  a  gala  coach  rolls  by;  a  lackey  before 
and  a  lackey  behind. 

It  is  the  bishop,  a  prince  of  the  church,  one  of  those  gilded 
men  with  heraldic  bearings  and  revenues  who  have  palaces, 
horses,  servants,  good  table,  good  cheer,  all  the  pleasures  of 
life;  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  who  had  not  where  to  lay  His 
head. 

In  the  hunted  air  of  the  people  there  was  the  wild  beast 
thought  of  turning  at  bay.  Depressed  and  slinking  though 
they  were,  eyes  of  fire  were  not  wanting  among  them;  nor 
compressed  lips,  white  with  what  they  suppressed;  nor  fore- 
heads knitted  into  the  likeness  of  the  gallows  rope  they  mused 
about  enduring,  or  inflicting.  The  people  croaked  over  their 
scanty  measure  of  thin  wine  and  beer,  and  were  glowingly 
confidential  together.  Nothing  was  represented  in  a  flourish- 
ing condition  save  tools  and  weapons. 

On  the  streets  at  wide  intervals,  one  clumsy  lamp  was 
slung  by  a  rope  and  pulley.  At  night  the  lamp  lighter  let 
these  down;  lighted  and  hoisted  them  again.  The  gaunt 
scarecrows  had  watched  the  lamp  lighter  with  an  idea  of 
improving  on  his  method  and  hauling  up  men  by  those  ropes 
and  pulleys  to  flare  upon  the  darkness  of  their  condition. 
But  every  wind  that  blew  over  France  shook  the  rags  of  the 
scarecrows  in  vain,  for  the  birds  fine  of  song  and  feather  gave 
no  heed,  they  took  no  warning. 

Now  the  time  had  come.  The  cloud  which  had  been 
gathering  for  fifteen  hundred  years  burst.  The  reign  of  ter- 
ror began,  the  oppressed  became  the  oppressor. 


THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION  83 

The  storm  of  '89  and  '93  raged  in  fury:  Then  the  lords 
the  nobles  and  the  ecclesiastics  were  greatly  frightened  and 
took  to  their  noble  heels,  making  all  possible  haste  for  some 
other  land. 

Monsieures  were  scattered  far  and  wide. 

The  Reformation  in  billows  of  ideas  flowing  over  the  earth, 
under  the  broad  blue  sky,  sparkling  in  the  radiant  sunshine, 
would  have  pacifically  covered  up  and  destroyed  all  error;  it 
would  have  cured  all  the  wounds  and  ills  of  the  old  world. 
By  the  force  of  kindly  examination,  to  study  evil  amiably  to 
prove  its  existence,  then  to  cure  it.  This  was  the  meaning  of 
the  Reformation.    No  violent  remedy  was  necessary. 

But  the  great  church  power  would  not  allow  this;  she 
poured  out  a  flood  from  the  old  pool  system,  reeking  with  the 
miasma  of  superstition,  ignorance,  degredation,  hatred  and 
prejudice;  and  when  the  poor  old  aflflicted  world  could  no 
longer  endure  the  putrefaction  and  death  arising  from  this 
stagnation — The  swan  arose  with  the  wings  of  an  eagle,  and 
the  scream  of  the  eagle. 

The  little  man  of  the  faubourgs  who  only  wished  to  be 
well  dressed,  and  sufficient  food  to  nourish  the  stomach, 
whose  joy  it  was  to  stroll  with  his  child  in  the  park  or  by  the 
seaside  of  a  Sunday,  the  tiny  hand  of  his  child  in  his  own: 
Suddenly  he  arose;  his  gaze  became  terrible  and  his  breath 
a  tempest;  from  his  slender  chest  issued  enough  wind  to  dis- 
arrange the  folds  of  the  Alps. 

Then,  all  at  once  frightened  Europe  lent  an  ear,  armies 
put  themselves  in  motion,  parks  of  artillery  rumbled,  pon- 
toons stretched  over  rivers,  clouds  of  cavalry  galloped  in  the 
storm;  cries,  tempests,  a  trembling  of  thrones  in  every  direc- 


84  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

tion,  the  frontiers  of  kingdoms  oscillated  on  the  map,  the 
sound  of  a  super-human  sword  was  heard  as  it  was  drawn 
from  the  sheath ;  they  beheld  him  arise  erect  on  the  horizon 
with  a  blazing  brand  in  his  hand  and  a  glow  in  his  eyes,  un- 
folding amid  the  thunder  his  two  wings,  the  grand  army  of  the 
Republic,  the  French  Revolution. 

The  choice  of  rulers  had  been  Progress  either  by  gentle 
slopes  or  by  the  raging  of  storms  and  torrents;  they  refused 
the  one  and  were  not  able  to  prevent  the  other.  Consequent- 
ly the  horrors  of  '89  and  '93. 

After  the  Battle  of  Waterloo  the  wind  ceased,  the  smoke 
cleared  away,  the  drums  held  their  peace,  the  weapons  were 
laid  aside.     It  was  now  the  turn  of  Intelligence. 

The  Revolution  was  the  most  important  step  of  the  human 
race  since  the  advent  of  Christ.  It  hurled  to  the  earth  the 
monarchy  of  four  thousand  years;  it  threw  away  the  feudal- 
ism of  about  fifteen  centuries. 

But  to  demolish  mummified  ideas,  to  cause  hatreds  and 
wraths  and  prejudices  to  disappear  and  (as  there  is  no  vacu- 
um in  the  human  heart)  to  reconstruct  the  mind,  to  reorgan- 
ize and  furnish  it,  by  that  vast  dawn  of  principles  and  virtues. 
This  was  and  ever  is  the  true  revolution. 

This  is  certainly  true:  hence  the  greatest  need  of  civiliza- 
tion is,  an  army  of  school  masters  with  their  heads  wholly  in 
the  light,  unfaltering,  if  their  feet  are  set  in  affliction  and 
difficulty,  pressing  on  the  upward  way  by  the  force  of  those 
two  powerful  motors,  Faith  and  Love. 

This  thought  has  been  developed  by  others,  we  pass  on. 


85 


CHAPTER  IX. 

AN    ILLUSTRIOUS    FRENCHMAN 

In  1817  Monsieur  Henri  Cammille,  who  lived  in  Paris, 
was  at  that  age  when  men  who  think  have  great  depth  and 
ingenuousness.  He  was  the  son  of  a  councilman  of  the  Par- 
liament of  Paris,  hence  he  belonged  to  the  nobility  of  the  bar. 
Monsieur  Cammille  had  been  reared  in  the  idea  of  the  divine 
right  of  kings  and  the  domination  of  religion  in  the  affairs 
of  the  State.    He  detested  the  Republic. 

At  the  time  of  a  profound  and  powerful  movement  made 
essential  by  the  study  of  the  Middle  Ages,  Monsieur  Cam- 
mille read  the  histories,the  memoirs,  the  bulletins,  the  proc- 
lamations; he  devoured  everything.  The  revolution,  the  re- 
public had  been  monstrous  words  to  him,  which  meant  only 
anarchy  and  ruin ;  he  now  wished  to  discover  the  root  of  the 
whole  matter.  The  history  upon  which  his  eye  fell  appalled 
him.  The  first  effect  was  to  dazzle  him,  where  he  expected 
to  find  only  chaos  in  the  idea  of  the  Republic,  he  saw  the 
grand  figure  of  the  people  emerge  from  the  revolution  in  the 
sovereignty  of  civil  right  restored  to  the  masses,  and  absolute 
individuality  in  all  questions  of  religion. 

Monsieur  Cammille  began  to  understand  his  country,  at 
the  same  time  his  ideas  underwent  an  extraordinary  change. 

However,  this  change  was  not  accomplished  all  at  once, 
the  phases  of  the  change  were  numerous  and  successive.    This 


86  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

is  the  history  of  many  minds  in  that  day.  And  as  it  is  the 
history  of  many  minds  in  our  day,  we  think  it  will  prove 
useful  to  follow  these  phases  step  by  step,  and  to  indicate 
them  all. 

This  is  a  history  of  ideas  and  manners,  it  has  to  do  with 
hearts  and  souls;  we  indicate  external  events  only  as  they 
touch  human  happiness  and  well  being.  All  that  is  written 
in  this  book  of  the  Church  of  Rome  are  facts  that  are  well 
authenticated ;  we  set  them  down  because  we  believe  it  is  im- 
portant to  know  them;  that  all  should  know  them  in  order 
to  avoid  a  return  of  the  past. 

We  point  these  facts  out  without  hate,  for  we  know  that 
many  of  the  best  and  blest  of  earth  have  been  of  that  com- 
munion. It  is  the  state  of  mind  on  the  march  from  fiction 
to  reality,  from  evil  to  good,  from  sin  to  perfection,  from 
destruction  to  Paradise,  that  we  are  recording.  Progress  is 
not  occomplished  in  one  stage.  That  stated  once  for  all  in  con- 
nection with  what  precedes,  as  well  as  with  what  is  to  follow, 
we  continue. 

Monsieur  Cammille  gained  a  tremendous  grasp  of  facts 
and  events ;  he  looked  fixedly  at  the  facts ;  he  scrutinized  the 
principles. 

The  revolution  effected  in  his  mind  cost  a  mighty  effort, 
at  times,  it  seemed  to  him  to  mean  only  anarchy,  chaos,  the 
abyss,  and  he  knew  not  where  he  stood,  then  again  he  saw 
radiations  of  gleaming  stars,  and  flickerings  of  infinite  reali- 
ties. He  beheld  the  people  of  France  rise  from  the  tyranny 
of  a  race  petrified  in  dogmatism  and  demoralized  by  lucre, 
in  the  sovereignty  of  civil  right,  their  heads  inundated  in  the 
light   of   religious   liberty.      He   asserted   in   his   conscience 


AN  ILLUSTRIOUS  FRENCHMAN  87 

that  this  is  good.  A  splendid  enthusiasm  for  the  absolute 
took  possession  of  his  whole  being.  He  saw  that  right  is  not, 
like  the  Colossus  of  Rhodes,  on  two  shores  at  once,  with  one 
foot  on  the  Republic,  and  one  in  Royalty,  it  is  indivisible  and 
all  on  one  side. 

Monsieur  Cammille  traveled  extensively  throughout  his 
own  country  in  order  to  ferret  out  the  true  condition  of  the 
people  and  the  country.  The  roads  were  bad,  the  equipages 
were  miserable  and  the  horses  were  wretched. 

"Far  and  wide  lay  a  ruined  country;  yielding  but  desola- 
tion. Every  green  leaf  and  blade  of  grass  was  as  shriveled 
and  poor  as  the  miserable  people;  everything  was  bowed 
down,  dejected,  oppressed  and  broken.  Habitations,  fences, 
domesticated  animals,  men,  women,  children  and  the  soil  that 
bore  them — all  worn  out. 

At  the  steepest  point  of  a  hill  there  was  a  little  burial 
ground  with  a  cross  and  the  figure  of  our  Saviour  on  it,  to 
this  emblem  a  woman  was  kneeling.  A  carriage  passed,  she 
turned  her  head ;  she  rose  quickly  and  presented  herself  at 
the  carriage  door. 

"It  is  you  Monsieur?  Monsieur  a  petition."  A  cruel  face 
looked  out. 

"Monsieur,  my  husband  died  of  want;  so  many  die  of 
want ;  so  many  more  will  die  of  want." 

"Well,  can  I  feed  them?" 

"Monsieur,  the  good  God  knows ;  my  baby  is  starving  and 
will  soon  be  laid  under  a  heap  of  poor  grass,  and  when  I  am 
dead  of  the  same  malady,  I  shall  be  laid  under  another  heap 
of  poor  grass.  Monsieur,  there  are  so  many,  they  increase  so 
fast,  there  is  so  much  want." 


88  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

The  lackey  put  her  away,  the  horses  broke  into  a  brisk  trot, 
the  postillions  quickened  their  pace,  she  was  left  far  behind. 
Monsieur  rapidly  diminished  the  distance  that  remained  be- 
tween him  and  his  chateau. 

There  were  thirteen  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  peas- 
ants' dwellings  in  France  with  but  three  openings;  eighteen 
hundred  hovels  with  but  two  openings,  the  door  and  a  win- 
dow, and  three  hundred  and  forty  thousand  cabins  besides, 
with  but  one  opening,  the  door.  This,  because  of  the  tax 
on  doors  and  windows.  Poor  families,  old  women,  and 
women  that  were  young  but  looked  old,  and  little  children 
living  in  these  dwellings ;  and  behold  the  fevers  and  maladies 
that  resulted. 

And  then  how  had  the  church  used  her  power  in  matters 
of  the  conscience?  Under  the  guidance  of  her  Christian 
pastors  the  populace  was  entertained  by  cutting  off  the  hand 
and  pulling  out  the  tongue  of  young  men  because  they  would 
not  bow  down  in  the  rain  to  a  company  of  dirty  priests.  And 
this  as  late  as  the  year  seventeen  hundred  and  seventy-five  of 
our  Lord. 

Think  of  that  poor  Hugenot  woman,  who,  in  1685,  under 
Louis  the  Great,  while  with  a  nursing  infant,  was  bound 
naked  to  the  waist,  to  a  stake,  and  the  child  kept  at  a  dis- 
tance; her  breast  swelled  with  milk  and  her  heart  with  an- 
guish. The  little  one  hungry  and  pale,  beheld  that  breast 
and  cried  and  agonized ;  the  executioner  said  to  the  woman, 
a  mother  and  a  nurse,  'adjure,'  giving  her  the  choice  between 
the  death  of  her  infant  and  the  death  of  her  conscience. 

"Aigues  Mortes  is  a  town  on  a  shallow  bay  or  marsh 
about  three  miles  from  the  Mediterranean.     It  was  built 


AN  ILLUSTRIOUS  FRENCHMAN  89 

seven  or  eight  hundred  years  ago  as  a  feudal  fortress.  The 
great  massive  stone  walls  still  stand  and  are  as  perfect  as 
when  built.  At  one  corner  of  this  fortress  stands  the  great 
Tour  de  Constance.  It  is  round  and  is  sixty  feet  in  diameter, 
and  ninety-two  feet  high.  The  wall  of  this  tower  is  eighteen 
feet  thick.  The  interior  has  two  apartments,  one  being  above 
the  other.  They  are  dimly  lighted  by  long  and  very  narrow 
openings  in  the  wall.  The  lower  apartment  is  the  dungeon. 
Here  the  wives  and  the  daughters  of  the  Hugenot  preachers 
and  merchants  and  other  men  of  prominence  were  imprisoned 
for  life.  The  records  show  that  Marie  Durand  was  placed 
in  this  dungeon  in  1730,  when  fifteen  years  old,  and  kept 
there  until  1768,  a  period  of  37  years.  The  crime  for  which 
she  was  thus  cruelly  treated  was  that  she  accompanied  her 
parents  to  a  religious  service  that  the  government  had  for- 
bidden. The  names  of  many  of  these  noble  women  were 
engraved  on  the  interior  of  these  stone  walls  which  held  them 
from  their  friends  and  the  privileges  of  life,  so  many  weary 
years.  One  who  visited  this  dungeon  near  the  close  of  the 
Huguenot  persecutions  has  left  the  statement  of  what  he  saw : 
"  'Words  fail  me  to  describe  the  horror  with  which  we 
reviewed  a  scene  to  which  we  were  so  unaccustomed,  a 
frightful  and  affecting  picture  in  which  the  interest  was 
heightened  to  disgust,  we  beheld  a  large  circular  apartment, 
deprived  of  air  and  light,  in  which  fourteen  females  still  lan- 
guished in  misery.  It  was  with  difficulty  that  the  prince 
smothered  his  emotion;  and  doubtless  it  was  the  first  time 
these  unfortunate  creatures  had  there  witnessed  compassion 
depicted  upon  a  human  countenance.  I  still  seem  to  behold 
the  affecting  apparition.     They  fell  at  our  feet,  bathed  in 


90  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

tears  and  speechless,  until,  emboldened  by  our  expressions  of 
sympathy,  they  recounted  to  us  their  sufferings.' 

"Eight  leagues  distant  from  Brussels, — there  are  relics  of 
the  Middle  Ages  there  which  are  attainable  for  everybody^ 
at  the  Abbey  of  Villers, — in  the  middle  of  the  field  which 
was  formerly  the  court-yard  of  the  cloister,  and  on  the  banks 
of  the  Phil,  four  stone  dungeons,  half  undergroud,  half  under 
the  water.  Each  of  these  dungeons  has  the  remains  of  an  iron 
door,  a  vault  and  a  grated  opening  which  on  the  outside  is 
two  feet  above  the  level  of  the  river,  and  on  the  inside,  six  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  ground.  Four  feet  of  the  river  flow 
past  along  the  outside  wall.  The  ground  was  always  soaked. 
The  occupant  of  this  place  had  this  wet  soil  for  his  bed.  In 
one  of  the  dungeons  there,  there  is  a  fragment  of  an  iron 
necklet  riveted  to  the  wall;  in  another  is  seen  a  square  box 
made  of  four  slabs  of  granite,  too  short  for  a  person  to  lie 
down  in,  too  low  for  him  to  stand  up  in.  A  human  being 
was  put  inside,  with  a  coverlid  of  stone  on  top. 

"Under  Louis  XIV.,  the  king  desired  to  create  a  fleet, — 
let  us  consider  the  means.  The  galleys  were  to  the  marine 
what  the  steamers  are  today.  Therefore,  galleys  were  neces- 
sary; but  the  galley  was  moved  only  by  the  galley-slave, 
hence  galley-slaves  were  required. 

"Colbert  had  the  commissioners  of  provinces  and  the  par- 
liament make  as  many  convicts  as  possible.  The  magistracy 
showed  a  great  deal  of  complaisance  in  the  matter.  A  man 
kept  his  hat  on  in  the  presence  of  a  procession — it  was  a 
Huguenot  attitude ;  he  was  sent  to  the  galleys.  A  child  was 
encountered  in  the  streets,  provided  he  was  fifteen  years  of 


AN  ILLUSTRIOUS  FRENCHMAN  91 

age  and  did  not  know  where  he  was  to  sleep,  he  was  sent  to 
the  galleys.  There  were  many  children  who  knew  not 
fathers  or  mothers,  this  abandonment  of  children  was  not 
discouraged  by  the  ancient  monarchy — ^The  hatred  of  in- 
struction for  the  people  was  a  dogma.  The  monarchy  some- 
times was  in  need  of  children,  and  in  that  case  the  police 
skimmed  the  streets.  Under  Louis  XV.  children  disappeared 
in  Paris,  the  police  carried  them  off,  for  what  mysterious 
purpose  no  one  knew." 

Great  Age,  grand  reign  under  the  mistress  of  Civilization. 

Thus  Monsieur  Cammille  surveyed  the  whole  realm  of 
the  monarchy.  It  appeared  to  him,  a  wilderness  of  misery, 
of  tyranny  and  of  ruin. 

All  that  he  had  formerly  believed  in  now  vanished  like 
dark  clouds  at  the  appearance  of  the  morning  sun.  He  had 
an  air  of  charming  sincerity,  with  something  indescribably 
thoughtful  and  sympathetic  over  his  whole  countenance.  He 
loved  to  contemplate  the  spectacles  which  God  furnishes 
gratis;  he  gazed  at  the  sky,  space,  at  stars,  flowers,  children, 
suffering  humanity,  the  creation  amid  which  he  beams.  He 
gazed  so  much  on  humanity  that  he  perceived  its  soul,  he 
gazed  on  creation  to  the  extent  that  he  beheld  God.  An  ad- 
mirable sentiment  broke  forth  in  him,  pity  and  compassion  for 
all.  He  suspected  that  he  had  solved  the  problem  of  life, 
found  the  true  philosophy  of  existence,  the  true  religion,  he 
had. 

To  denounce  the  whole  monarchial  idea,  to  say  that  the 
church  by  which  the  monarchy  was  established,  by  which 
it  alone  could  stand  was  not  the  church  of  the  Bible : — What 
would  it  mean  to  him  ? 


92  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

The  instinct  of  self  preservation  took  possession  of  him, 
and  he  reasoned  with  himself — Let  us  see,  let  us  see, — it  may 
be  I  am  taking  things  too  seriously,  why  trouble  one's  self 
about  the  established  order  of  things?  Such  is  the  destiny 
of  humanity;  let  everyone  accept  his  natural  destiny.  The 
men  of  the  revolution  are  chimerical,  extreme,  they  are  mad. 
To  demolish  is  not  well ;  to  resist  the  government  is  anarchis- 
tic, but  to  reform  the  church  will  make  all  things  right ;  that 
is  it,  I  have  the  solution  of  the  whole  matter. 

He  shook  ofif  thought. 

All  these  revolutions  had  taken  place  in  him  without  his 
family  or  friends  obtaining  an  inkling  of  the  case,  not  a  ripple 
had  troubled  the  calm  manner  of  his  conduct.  To  Madame 
Cammille  no  change  had  appeared.  Monsieur  Cammille 
loved  his  wife,  but  she  was  a  royalist  and  a  devout  Catholic. 
She  always  grew  furious  at  mention  of  the  words,  the  Re- 
public, Revolution,  liberty,  equality,  etc.  But  she  adored  her 
husband.  The  Cammilles  had  one  child,  a  daughter,  her 
name  was  Evadne,  she  was  a  joy. 

Madame  Cammille  gave  a  grand  reception  at  their  stately 
mansion.  The  rooms  were  beautiful  to  look  at,  adorned  with 
every  device  of  decoration  that  the  taste  and  skill  of  the  time 
could  achieve.  Aristocrats  only  were  in  attendance.  There 
were  officers,  destitute  of  military  knowledge,  officers,  naval, 
without  an  idea  of  a  ship,  civil  officers  without  a  notion  of 
civil  affairs,  a  great  number  of  ecclesiastics,  though  for  the 
most  part,  as  much  courtiers  as  churchmen,  all  lying  horribly 
and  totally  unfit  for  their  several  callings. 

But  the  joy  of  it  all  was  that  all  the  company  at  the 
beautiful  palace  were  perfectly  dressed ;  such  powdering  and 


AN  ILLUSTRIOUS  FRENCHMAN  93 

frizzing  and  sticking  up  of  hair;  such  delicate  complexions, 
artificially  preserved  and  mended ;  the  rustle  of  silk  and  bro- 
cade and  gold  lace  coats,  pumps  and  silk  stockings ;  such  gal- 
lant swords  to  look  at,  and  such  delicate  honor  to  the  sense 
of  smell  would  keep  things  going  forever. 

Charming  grandmamas  of  sixty,  dressed  and  supped  as  at 
twenty.  Exquisite  gentlemen  of  the  finest  breeding  moved 
languidly. 

Monsieur  Cammille  was  gay  and  affable,  he  was  courtly  in 
manner  and  address ;  all  the  graces  and  courtesies  which  make 
life  so  admirable  were  perfectly  easy  and  natural  to  him.  His 
figure  was  heroic,  his  brow  lofty.  He  was  admired  and 
loved  by  all. 

But  Monsieur  Cammille  felt  no  joy.  The  occasion  be- 
came a  positive  bore  to  him.  Yielding  to  that  mysterious 
power  which  said,  "Think,"  he  separated  himself  from  the 
company,  went  to  his  innermost  apartment,  shut  the  door, 
locked  it,  dropped  himself  into  a  chair  and  meditated  in  the 
dark.  He  was  gloomy ;  his  ideas  were  confused ;  the  reason- 
ing which  arose  from  the  natural  ambition  to  enjoy,  to  be 
engaged  in  the  brief  things  of  matter  totally  eclipsed  all  the 
evidence  which  had  convinced  his  mind,  that  vast  dawn  of 
ideas  which  had  burst  the  tomb  of  tyrannical  dogmatism, 
had  enlarged  his  mental  horizon,  had  illuminated  his  whole 
being,  filling  him  with  a  splendid  enthusiasm,  which  had  led 
him  to  the  brink  of  a  precipice;  that  brilliant  light  had  dis- 
appeared. Monsieur  Cammille  was  in  darkness,  but  he  had 
been  a  careful  student  and  kept  a  neat  record  of  facts  and 
events,  he  had  noted  down  in  a  book  the  principles  which  had 
illuminated  his  mind. 


94  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

How  came  the  darkness?  He  had  measured  the  desires  of 
life  against  the  call  of  duty;  that  is  to  say  against  his  con- 
science. For  him  there  were  airy  galleries  from  which  smiled 
loves  and  graces,  extraordinary  gardens  in  which  the  fruits 
of  life  were  hanging,  the  murmur  of  fountains  of  waters, 
the  singing  of  many  kinds  of  birds,  these  and  all  other  pleas- 
ant things  of  life  were  his  to  enjoy. 

But  the  prostitution  of  women,  the  slavery  of  men,  and 
endless  night  for  the  child  had  moved  his  heart  to  pity.  Hu- 
manity was  bleeding.  He  had  been  called  to  bind  up  the 
wounds  of  his  country,  and  to  do  all  the  good  that  he  could. 
He  had  repressed  these  noble  sentiments  which  had  come 
from  the  innermost  depths  of  his  soul.  The  instinct  of  self 
preservation,  the  desire  to  enjoy  the  delectable  things  of  life 
had  extinguished  the  bright  light,  an  eclipse  of  the  soul  had 
taken  place.  But  what  was  that  voice  which  in  the  midst  of 
the  revelry  had  said,  "think?"    Conscience. 

What  is  Conscience? 

Consicence  is  the  faculty,  power,  or  inward  principle  which 
decides  as  to  the  character  of  one's  actions,  purposes,  and 
affections,  warning  against  and  condemning  that  which  is 
wrong,  and  approving  and  prompting  to  that  which  is  right, 
the  moral  faculty  passing  judgment  on  one's  self;  the  moral 
sense.  Conscience  is  the  reason  employed  about  questions  of 
right  and  wrong,  and  accompanied  with  sentiments  of  ap- 
probation and  condemnation. — 

"Conviction  of  right  or  duty." — ^Webster. 

Conscience  is  an  infinity  which  every  man  bears  within 
himself;  it  is  intelligent,  it  loves,  it  thinks,  it  wills.  Is  there 
an  infinity  beyond  us?     Is  that  infinite  there,  inherent,  per- 


AN  ILLUSTRIOUS  FRENCHMAN  95 

manent;  necessarily  substantial,  since  it  is  infinite;  and  be- 
cause if  it  lacked  matter  it  would  be  bounded;  necessarily 
intelligent,  and  because  if  it  lacked  intelligence  it  would  end 
there.  If  the  Infinite  had  no  person,  person  would  be  with- 
out limit,  it  would  not  be  infinite,  in  other  words  it  would 
not  exist. 

There  is  then  an  I  above;  that  I  of  the  infinite  is  God. 
The  I  below  is  the  soul,  man;  the  I  on  high  is  God. 

What  a  solemn  thing  is  this  infinity  which  every  man 
bears  within  himself,  which  he  measures  with  despair  against 
the  caprices  of  his  brain  and  desires  of  his  life. 

Thought  is  the  medium  by  which  the  soul  is  brought  in 
contact  with  God. 

The  grandeur  of  democracy  is  to  deny  nothing  to  human- 
ity; close  to  the  right  of  man,  beside  it  at  least  there  exists 
the  right  of  the  soul. 

Monarchy  denies  this  right,  monarchy  engenders  ignor- 
ance, knowledge  demolishes  the  monarchy,  that  is  to  say 
ignorance.  Ignorance  is  the  tyrant.  The  day  will  come 
when  the  splendid  question  of  universal  education  will  speak 
with  the  irresistible  authority  of  absolute  truth,  and  then 
there  will  be  no  more  tyranny,  for  there  will  be  no  more 
ignorance. 

At  the  reception  someone  entered,  unseen,  the  silence  was 
unbroken  at  that  word — "think."  That  some  one  was  God. 
Never  had  Monsieur  Cammille  engaged  in  so  severe  a 
struggle  as  that  which  followed  in  obedience  to  that  voice. 
The  eye  of  the  spirit  penetrating  the  innermost  depths  of  a 
conscience  engaged  in  reflection,  beholds  a  spectacle  more 
mysterious,  more  formidable  and  more  grand  than  is  por- 


96  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

trayed  in  all  creation,  the  ocean,  the  earth  and  the  heavens. 
There  beneath  that  silence  battles  of  giants  are  in  progress; 
there  the  dragon  and  the  archangel  are  fiercely  contending. 

As  Monsieur  Cammille  reviewed  the  evidence  which  had 
convinced  his  mind,  one  thing  engaged  his  attention  in  a 
special  manner,  at  it  he  looked  fixedly  for  a  long  time.  It 
was  the  story  of  the  contest  for  religious  liberty  in  America 
and  how  it  was  won  for  that  nation  and  for  all  mankind. 

Suddenly  he  arose;  went  to  the  room  where  Evadne  was 
sleeping,  here  by  the  bed  of  his  child,  the  object  of  his  purest 
afTections,  he  struggled;  his  emotions  were  simply  indiscrib- 
able  as  he  reflected  that  duty  would  separate  them,  he  bent 
like  a  soldier  before  an  assault,  like  an  oak  at  the  approach  of 
a  storm. 

Eighteen  hundred  years  before  his  day,  one  wild  night 
under  olive  trees,  dripping  with  the  dews  of  night,  One  in 
whom  is  found  all  the  virtues  and  all  the  sufferings  of  hu- 
manity,— he  also  three  times  put  aside  the  cup  of  sacrifice. 

The  cup  of  human  destiny  trembled  in  the  hand  of  one 
who  was  man,  at  the  same  time  and  God.  By  strength 
divine  he  took  the  cup  and  drank  of  it  to  the  last  bitter  dregs. 

Monsieur  Cammille  disengaged  himself  from  earth  and 
sought  strength  elsewhere,  from  time  to  time  he  fixed  his 
eyes  upon  a  point  on  the  wall,  nothing  was  there,  no  work 
of  cunning  device  was  there.  No  crucifix  was  there.  By  the 
eye  of  faith  he  beheld  the  great  High  Priest  within  the  veil 
in  heaven.  Streams  of  light  from  there  poured  upon  him  like 
unto  the  beauteous  tongues  of  fire  that  rested  upon  Apostolic 
heads. 

He  would  do  his  duty  now  at  any  cost ;  commiting  Evadne 


AN  ILLUSTRIOUS  FRENCHMAN  97 

to  the  care  of  the  Lord  and  Master  of  us  all.  That  yawning 
precipice  was  still  there,  but  now  he  descried  heaven  at  the 
bottom  of  it. 

March  on,  soldier  of  Democracy,  priest  of  the  Ideal,  hero 
of  the  Absolute. 

The  priests  explain  the  Bible  badly,  they  are  mistaken; 
those  radiant  portals  of  Eden  are  before  us,  not  behind  us. 

The  onward  march  of  the  human  race  requires  that  the 
heights  around  it  should  be  ablaze  with  noble  and  enduring 
lessons  of  courage,  deeds  of  daring  dazzle  history  and  form 
one  of  the  guiding  lights  of  men.  To  strive  to  brave  all 
risks,  to  persist,  to  persevere,  to  be  faithful  to  one's  self,  to 
grapple  hand  to  hand  with  destiny,  to  surprise  defeat  by  the 
little  terror  it  inspires,  at  one  time  to  confront  unrighteous 
power,  at  another  to  defy  intoxicated  triumph,  to  hold  fast, 
to  hold  hard — such  is  the  example  that  nations  need  and  the 
light  that  illumines  them. 

Once  to  every  man  and  nation  comes  the  moment  to  decide. 
In  the  strife  of  truth  with  falsehood,  for  the  good  or  evil  side ; 
Some   great   cause    God's   new   Messiah   offering   each   the 

bloom  or  blight. 
Parts  the  goats  upon  the  left  hand  and  the  sheep  upon  the 

right  ; 
And  the  choice  goes  by  for  ever  twixt  that  darkness  and  that 

light.  — ^James  Russell  Lowell. 

Is  true  freedom  but  to  break 
Fetters  for  our  own  dear  sake. 
And,   with   leathern  hearts   forget 
That  we  owe  mankind  a  debt? 


98  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

No:  true  freedom  is  to  share 
All  the  chains  our  brothers  wear, 
And  with  heart  and  hand,  to  be 
Earnest  to  make  others  free. 

They  are  slaves  who  fear  to  speak 
For  the  fallen  and  the  weak; 
They  are  slaves  who  will  not  choose 
Hatred,  scoffing,  and  abuse. 
Rather  than  in  silence  shrink 
From  the  truth  he  needs  must  think; 
They  are  slaves  who  dare  not  be 
In  the  right  with  two  or  three. 

— ^James  Russell  Lowell. 


99 


CHAPTER  X. 

EVADNE 

Years  rolled  by.  Evadne  had  received  an  education  called 
classic,  prescribed  and  limited  by  pedantic  officials  and  preju- 
diced scholasticism. 

But  Evadne  had  a  charming  soul  virhich  instinctively 
turned  to  the  light,  birds,flowers,  poetry,  music,  she  loved  to 
give  gifts  to  poor  little  children  and  to  make  them  happy. 

In  her  youthful  dreams,  Evadne  beheld  a  noble  heroic 
figure  whom  she  some  day  hoped  to  meet,  and  w^ed ;  at  times 
she  thought  of  her  father,  and  was  gloomy,  she  had  been 
taught  that  he  was  seized  by  a  terrible  malady,  that  he  had 
the  plague,  and  had  joined  a  gang  of  murderers,  and  that  he 
was  a  ferocious  monster;  hatred  of  the  republic  had  been 
diligently  instilled  in  her  mind. 

Nevertheless,  youth  is  so  constructed  that  gloom  and  sad- 
ness cannot  hold  sway;  joyous  hopefulness  is  the  dominating 
power  of  youth. 

Evadne  had  religious  habits. 

One  beautiful  day  in  June  1831,  she  had  been  to  the 
Cathedral  for  worship  and  was  going  out,  just  then  a  young 
man  was  passing;  Evadne  lifted  her  head  and  saw  him;  he 
was  not  a  stranger;  when  children  they  had  accompanied 
their  mothers  to  evening  gatherings  at  a  certain  salon,  this 
custom  had  for  years  been  abandoned,  the  little  boy  was  now 


100  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

a  man,  and  he  was  the  figure  of  the  girl's  dreams.  The  girl 
was  now  a  woman,  and  there  was  a  mysterious  something  in 
that  glance,  in  the  moment  when  she  looked  up  and  saw  him, 
that  couquets  try  to  imitate ;  of  this  Evadne  was  unconscious 
and  perfectly  innocent.  It  was  the  soul  of  a  true  woman,  and 
it  was  the  time  of  love,  a  love  in  accordance  with  the  design 
of  God. 

Who  was  this  young  man? — his  name  was  Jehan  Lenor- 
mand;  we  shall  meet  him  later  on. 

In  this  history  at  this  time  it  is  necessary  to  turn  back. 

The  outbreak  of  the  French  Revolution  was  followed  by 
fierce  denunciations  from  Rome.  Anathema  after  anathema 
was  hurled  from  the  papal  chair.  France  had  always  been 
Rome's  most  favored  and  her  favorite  nation.  No  other 
people  had  done  so  much  as  France  to  assist  the  Church  of 
Rome  into  her  place  of  great  power. 

"The  French  Revolution  was  a  struggle  for  civil  and  relig- 
ious liberty,  it  was  an  effort  to  throw  off  the  yoke  of  king 
and  pope.  Pope  Pius  VI,  summarily  condemned  the  most 
precious  principles  of  the  revolution.  He  branded  as  devilish 
the  aspirations  for  equality  and  political  liberty  in  the  dec- 
laration of  rights. 

"The  necessary  effect  of  the  constitution  decreed  by  the 
assembly,"  says  he,  "Is  to  annihilate  the  Catholic  religion, 
and  that  duty  of  obedience  due  to  the  laws.  It  is  in  this 
view  that  they  establish  as  a  right  of  man  in  society  this 
absolute  liberty,  which  not  only  secured  the  right  of  not 
being  disturbed  for  one's  religious  opinions,  but  it  also  grants 
the  license  of  thinking,  speaking,  writing,  and  even  of  print- 
ing with  impunity  in  the  matter  of  religion,  all  that  the  most 


EVADNE  loi 

unregulated  imagination  can  suggest,  a  monstrous  right, 
which,  nevertheless,  appears  to  the  assembly  to  result  from 
the  equality  and  liberty  natural  to  all  men." 

"At  this  time  two  thirds  of  the  land  belonged  to  the 
nobility  and  the  clergy,  who  so  far  as  numbers  were  concern- 
ed formed  an  insignificant  part  of  the  population;  and  the 
remaining  one  third  was  in  the  hands  of  the  common  people 
whose  poverty  was  most  distressing.  For  many  years  a 
feeling  had  been  growing  that  the  great  lands  which  the 
church  owned,  had  not  been  come  by  honestly;  and  more 
than  this,  that  it  was  not  befitting  those  who  called  them- 
selves followers  of  the  meek  and  lowly  Master,  to  possess  so 
much,  while  their  brethren  were  lacking  for  food  and  rai- 
ment. 

"This  land  had  never  paid  taxes,  the  same  as  others  had 
to  pay  them,  for  the  clergy  had  the  privilege  of  meeting 
together  and  deciding  how  large  a  gift,  in  lieu  of  taxes,  they 
would  make  to  the  crown,  so  that  the  whole  matter  of  taxing 
themselves  was  in  their  own  hands. 

"Pius  the  sixth,  treated  as  chimerical  the  liberty  of  think- 
ing and  acting,  and  he  arose  with  energy  against  the  assembly 
to  declare  Catholicism  the  national  and  dominant  religion. 
He  compared  the  national  Assembly  to  King  Henry  the  eight 
of  England.  He  announced  an  approaching  excommunica- 
tion against  the  recalcitrants,  and  begged  all  the  bishops  of 
France,  prevent  the  revolution  from  progressing.  Such  was 
the  defiance  which  the  pope  of  Rome  hurled  against  the 
revolutionaries  of  France. 

"Long  before  this  Rome  had  taught  that  the  despotism  of 
the  church  and  the  despotism  of  the  state  were  inculcated  by 


I02  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

the  Holy  Scriptures,  Bossuet,  had  written  a  work  entitled, 
"La  Politiquee  Tireede  V  Escriture  Sainte," — Politics  drawn 
from  the  Holy  Scriptures.  This  learned  catechism  promul- 
gated the  ideas  as  of  God  of  a  royalty  without  control,  and  a 
clergy  without  restraint.  In  it  the  King  is  represented  as  a 
God  whose  countenance  rejoices  his  people  as  the  sun,  and 
whose  indisputable  caprices  ought  to  be  received  on  bended 
knees.  All  the  property  of  the  nation,  according  to  Bassuet, 
belonged  to  the  king,  excepting  the  land  of  the  Levites,  with 
which  the  king  ought  not  concern  himself,  only  to  increase  it. 

"Pius  the  sixth,  denounced  the  Legislative  Assembly,  and 
issued  an  encyclical  proclamation  in  which  he  condemned  the 
efforts  of  the  French  people  to  establish  a  republic.  Here 
are  his  words: 

That  assembly,  after  abolishing  the  monarchy,  which  is 
the  most  natural  form  of  government,  had  attributed  almost 
all  power  to  the  populace,  who  follow  no  wisdom  and  no 
counsel,  and  have  no  understanding  of  things. 

"He  further  instructed  the  bishops,  that  all  'poisoned 
books'  should  be  removed  from  the  faithful,  by  force  or 
stratagem.  He  denounced  the  liberty  after  which  France 
was  striving  in  imitation  of  the  American  example.  He  de- 
clared it  had  a  tendency  to  corrupt  minds,  pervert  morals, 
and  overthrow  all  order  in  affairs  and  laws.  He  asserted  in 
bold  terms  that  the  doctrine  of  the  equality  of  men,  led  to 
anarchy  and  the  speedy  dissolution  of  society. 

"In  1793  Monsieur  Basseville,  the  French  envoy,  was 
attacked  in  the  streets  by  the  emissaries  of  the  papal  govern- 
ment. His  house  was  broken  into,  and  he  himself  unarmed 
and  unresisting,  was  cruelly  assassinated. 


EVADNE  103 

The  pope  and  his  followers  had  been  extremely  provoked 
that  the  French  residing  in  Rome  had  displayed  the  tricolor 
flag  of  the  republic,  and  that  they  had  proposed  to  exhibit 
the  escutcheon  of  the  republic  over  the  door  of  the  French 
consul. 

"Certainly  there  could  be  no  just  cause  for  complaint 
about  this,  as  it  is  the  undoubted  right  of  the  foreign  am- 
bassadors and  consuls  in  any  land  to  hoist  the  flag  of  their 
country  and  display  the  coat  of  arms  of  the  nation  which  they 
represent.  But  the  pope  had  intimated  his  desire  that  this 
should  not  be  done,  and  a  popular  commotion  arose. 

"By  all  international  law,  the  life  of  an  envoy  is  sacred; 
but  so  great  was  the  hatred  of  the  pope  and  the  rulers  of  the 
papal  states  for  the  republic  of  France,  and  the  principles  for 
which  that  republic  stood,  that  the  most  solemn  o4  interna- 
tional usages  and  customs  was  trampled  into  the  dust,  and 
the  life  of  the  envoy  sacrificed  to  the  foaming  passion  of 
hatred  against  liberty. 

This  had  happened  in  1793,  but  it  was  not  forgotten  in 
1796.  Napoleon  called  upon  his  troops  to  avenge  the  life 
of  the  murdered  Ambassador.  He  addressed  the  following 
proclamation  to  his  soldiers: 

'Soldiers:  in  a  fortnight  you  have  gained  six  victories, 
taken  twenty-one  pair  of  colors,  fifty-five  pieces  of  cannon, 
several  fortresses,  and  conquered  the  richest  part  of  Pied- 
mont. You  have  made  fifteen  thousand  prisoners,  and  killed 
or  wounded  more  than  ten  thousand  men ;  you  have  hitherto 
been  fighting  for  barren  rocks,  rendered  glorious  by  your 
courage,  but  useless  to  the  country,  you  now  rival  by  your 
services  the  army  of  Holland,  and  of  the  Rhine.     Destitute 


I04  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES  . 

of  everything  you  have  supplied  all  your  wants.  You  have 
gained  battles  without  cannon,  crossed  rivers  without  bridges, 
made  forced  marches  without  shoes,  bivouacked  without 
brandy,  and  oftentimes  without  bread.  The  Republican 
phalanxes,  the  soldiers  of  liberty  alone  could  have  endured 
what  you  have  endured. 

"Thanks  be  to  you  for  it,  soldiers.  Your  grateful  country 
will  owe  to  you  its  prosperity,  and,  if  your  conquest  at  Tou- 
lon forebode  the  glorious  campaign  of  1793,  your  present 
victories  forebode  one  still  more  glorious.  The  two  armies 
which  so  lately  attacked  you  boldly,  are  fleeing  affrighted 
before  you;  the  perverse  men  who  laughed  at  your  distress, 
and  rejoiced  in  thought  at  the  triumphs  of  your  enemies, 
are  confounded  and  trembling.  But,  soldiers,  you  have  done 
nothing,  since  more  remains  to  be  done.  Neither  Turin  nor 
Milan  is  yours.  THE  ASHES  OF  THE  CONQUER- 
ORS OF  TARQUIN  ARE  STHX  TRAMPLED  UP- 
ON BY  THE  MURDERERS  OF  BASSEVILLE.  There 
are  said  to  be  some  among  you  whose  courage  is  subsiding, 
and  who  would  prefer  returning  to  the  summits  of  the  Ap- 
penines  and  the  Alps.  No,  I  cannot  believe  it.  The  con- 
querors of  Montenotte,  Millesimo,  Dego,  and  Mondovi,  are 
impatient  to  carry  the  glory  of  the  French  people  to  distant 
countries." 

Thus  spoke  Napoleon,  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  army 
of  the  republic  of  France  and  Italy.  Why  fought  this  army 
all  these  battles?  What  did  the  French  republic  with  the 
land  she  conquered?  The  northern  part  of  Italy  conquered 
by  Napoleon  was  converted  into  small  republics,  in  which 
civil  and  religious  liberty  had  full  sway.     Whatever  may 


EVADNE  105 

have  been  the  crimes  of  France,  whatever  the  atrocious  deeds 
of  the  red  reign  of  terror,  no  voice  from  history  can  deny 
but  that  it  was  the  intent  of  France  to  give  liberty  in  things 
religious  to  the  oppressed  peoples  of  Europe.  This  France 
purposed;  this  Napoleon  did. 

The  climax  of  Napoleon's  speech  is  interesting.  His  state- 
ment that  "ashes  of  the  conquerors  of  Tarquin  are  still  tram- 
pled upon  by  the  murderers  of  Basseville,"  was  one  calculated 
to  fire  to  a  white  heat  the  warlike  passions  of  his  immortelles. 

The  directory  of  France  commanded  General  Bonaparte, 
above  all  things,  to  make  Rome  feel  the  power  of  the  repub- 
lic. All  the  sincere  patriots  of  France,  insisted  on  this.  The 
pope  who  had  anathematized  France,  preached  a  crusade 
against  her,  and  suffered  her  ambassador  to  be  assassinated 
in  his  capital,  certainly  deserved  chastisement.  The  French 
government  insisted  that  the  holy  see  should  revoke  all  the 
briefs  issued  against  France  since  the  commencement  of  the 
revolution. 

This  secretly  hurt  the  pride  of  the  ancient  pontiff.  He 
summoned  the  college  of  the  cardinals,  which  decided  that 
the  revocation  could  not  take  place.  The  French  government 
now  decided  to  destroy  the  temporal  power  of  the  pope. 
Bonaparte,  however,  was  not  quite  ready  for  this. 

With  the  exception  of  some  of  the  most  violent  spirits  in 
France,  the  French  government  and  people  had  but  little 
desire  to  injure  the  spiritual  power  of  the  pope.  This  was 
particularly  true  of  Napoleon.  He  cared  little  or  nothing 
whether  the  doctrines  of  the  creed  of  St.  Athanasius,  or  of 
some  other  creed  succeeded.  It  was  nothing  to  him  whether 
religionists  held  that  there  was  such  a  place  as  purgatory  or 


io6  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

not.  He  cared  naught  for  the  doctrine  of  the  immaculate 
conception,  or  any  of  the  more  purely  religious  teachings 
and  tenets  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  What  he  and 
the  French  people  objected  to  was  the  way  in  which  the  pope 
had  anathematized  the  civil  and  religious  liberty  for  which 
they  fought.  They  detested  the  papal  power,  because  that 
power  had  called  all  the  monarchs  of  Europe  to  arms  against 
them  in  their  struggle  for  freedom.  These  things  lay  at  the 
bottom  of  the  whole  trouble  between  France  and  Rome. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  French  revolution,  the  nobles  and 
the  clergy  left  France  in  large  numbers  determined  to  gather 
armies  in  other  nations  and  invade  their  native  land  and  des- 
troy the  revolutionaries,  together  with  the  principles  of  lib- 
erty, equality,  and  fraternity  which  were  .their  watchwords. 

The  pope  immediately  took  the  lead  in  arousing  the  kings 
of  Europe  against  the  people  of  France.  By  bulls,  edicts  and 
encyclical  letters  he  warned  the  crowned  heads  of  Europe 
that  they  must  destroy  the  hydra-headed  monster  of  civil 
and  religious  liberty  which  had  commenced  to  grow  in 
France. 

He  did  not  content  himself  with  defending  the  great  max- 
ims of  the  church,  but  he  constituted  himself  chief  of  the 
reaction  movement  in  Europe,  and  boldly  declared  himself 
conjointly  responsible  for  the  ancient  regime  in  France. — 
"The  Battle  of  the  Century,"  by  P.  T.  Magan. 

"When  Napoleon  left  Italy  and  repaired  to  France,  from 
thence  starting  on  the  famous  expedition  to  Egypt,  with  the 
consent  of  the  Directory,  he  placed  in  charge  of  the  army  of 
Italy,    General   Alexander   Berthier,    the   soldier   who   had 


EVADNE  107 

fought  so  faithfully  by  the  side  of  the  American  colonists  in 
their  struggle  for  freedom  across  the  blue  Atlantic. 

"The  grandees  of  Rome,  who  had  acquired  some  of  the 
knowledge  diffused  throughout  Europe  during  the  eighteenth 
century,  loudly  murmured  against  such  a  feeble  government, 
and  said  it  was  high  time  the  temporal  rule  of  the  Roman 
states  should  be  transferred  from  the  hands  of  ignorant 
Monks,  unacquainted  with  secular  affairs,  to  those  of  real 
citizens  experienced  in  the  business  of  life,  and  possessing  a 
knowledge  of  the  world. 

"On  December  26,  1797,  the  French  embassy  in  Rome 
was  attacked,  and  General  Duphot,  who  was  only  anxious  to 
preserve  the  peace,  was  fired  upon  by  the  papal  troops  and 
killed.  This  produced  a  great  sensation,  and  then  it  was  that 
the  Directory  of  France  ordered  General  Berthier  to  march 
upon  Rome.  He  arrived  on  the  lOth  of  February  1798. 
His  soldiers  paused  for  a  moment  to  survey  the  ancient  and 
magnificent  city.  The  castle  of  St.  Angels  quickly  surren- 
dered. The  pope  for  the  time  being,  was  left  in  the  Vatican, 
and  Berthier  was  conducted  to  the  capital  like  the  Roman 
Generals  of  old  in  their  triumph..  The  Democrats,  at  the 
summit  of  their  wishes,  assembled  in  the  Campo  Vaccino, 
in  sight  of  the  remains  of  the  ancient  forum,  and  proclaimed 
THE  ROMAN  REPUBLIC.  A  Notary  drew  up  an  act 
by  which  the  populace,  calling  itself  the  Roman  people,  de- 
clared that  it  resumed  its  sovereignty  and  constituted  itself 
a  republic. 

"Meanwhile  pope  Pius  VI,  had  been  left  alone  in  the 
Vatican.  Messengers  were  sent  to  demand  the  abdication 
of  his  temporal  sovereignty.     There  was   no  intention  of 


io8  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

meddling  with  his  spiritual  authority.  He  replied  that  he 
could  not  divest  himself  of  a  property  which  was  not  his, 
but  which  had  devolved  on  him  from  the  apostles,  and  was 
only  a  deposit  in  his  hands.  This  logic  had  but  little  effect 
upon  the  republican  generals  of  France.  The  pope  treated 
with  respect  due  to  his  age,  was  removed  in  the  night  from 
the  Vatican,  and  conveyed  into  Tuscany,  from  thence  he 
was  taken  to  Valence,  France,  where  he  died,  attended  by  a 
solitary  ecclesiastic,  and  for  two  years  there  was  no  pope. — 
"The  Battle  of  the  Century,'"  P.  T.  M. 

June  5,  1815,  at  Waterloo,  the  nations  of  Europe  were 
gathered  together  against  France,  and  the  highest  bravery 
which  ever  astonished  history  fell  to  ruin;  those  who  had  con- 
quered Europe  fell  to  the  ground  having  nothing  more  to  do 
or  to  say,  feeling  a  terrible  presence  in  the  darkness.  Those 
who  had  delivered  the  people  of  Europe  from  tyranny  were 
conquered  by  the  perverse  men  of  those  nations. 

Was  it  possible  that  Napoleon  should  win  this  battle? 
We  answer,  No !  Why  ?  Because  of  Wellington  ?  Because 
of  Blucher?     No!     Because  of  God. 

For  Bonaparte  to  be  conqueror  at  Waterloo  was  not  in 
the  law  of  the  nineteenth  century.  Another  series  of  facts 
were  preparing  in  which  Napoleon  had  no  place.  The  ill- 
will  of  events  had  long  been  announced. 

His  fall  had  been  decreed  by  One  to  whom  there  is  no 
reply.  Napoleon  grieved  the  heart  of  the  Father  of  all.  A 
power  above  man  controlled  that  day;  and  Napoleon's  mil- 
itary monarchy  vanished  like  a  dream. 

The  Congress  of  Vienna  had  made  treaties.  The  treaty 
of  the  Holy  Alliance  was  signed  September  26,  18 15.     It 


EVADNE  109 

was  really  a  profession  of  religious  and  political  faith  by 
which  the  sovereigns  of  Europe  delivered  from  the  iniquities 
of  Napoleon,  were  henceforth  to  maintain  the  reign  of  peace 
and  righteousness  on  earth.  It  was  signed  by  the  Czar  of 
Russia,  the  King  of  Prussia,  the  Emperor  of  Austria,  and 
other  of  the  great  potentates  of  Europe.  The  whole  thing 
was  really  gotten  up  by  the  pope,  and  was  nothing  more  nor 
less  than  the  combining  of  the  Monarchs  of  Europe  at  the 
instigation  of  the  papacy,  against  the  principles  of  civil  and 
religious  freedom.  It  was  an  effort  on  the  part  of  the  mon- 
archies of  Europe  to  give  renewed  prominence  to  the  idea 
that  kings  govern  by  divine  right,  and  to  establish  the  union 
between  religion  and  the  state  to  the  extent  that  it  could 
never  again  be  set  aside.  They  solemnly  pledged  themselves 
to  do  everything  in  their  power  to  suppress  all  uprising  of  the 
people  in  favor  of  free  government,  and  to  unite  their  inter- 
ests in  preserving  monarchical  institutions  wherever  they 
existed,  and  in  re-establishing  them  where  they  had  been  set 
aside  by  the  people. 

And  that  by  Europe  was  called  the  Restoration. 

The  nobles  and  churchmen  returned  to  France  glad  to  be 
in  their  native  land  once  more,but  grieved  to  find  their  mon- 
archy gone.  The  Empire  under  Napoleon  had  been  despotic, 
now  by  the  reaction  of  things  the  restoration  was  forced  to 
be  liberal.  A  constitutional  order  was  granted  to  the  great 
regret  of  the  conquerors. 

The  result  was,  that  progress  proceeded  in  a  better  way, 
the  bravery  which  fell  at  the  battlefield,  arose  at  the  plat- 
form; freedom  had  been  upheld  by  the  sword,  it  was  now 
upheld    by  intelligence. 


no  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

Under  the  restoration,  the  nation  became  accustomed  to 
discussion  with  calmness  which  was  wanting  in  the  republic, 
and  to  grandeur  in  peace,  which  was  lacking  in  the  empire. 
France  free  and  strong,  had  been  an  encouraging  spectacle 
to  the  other  peoples  of  Europe.  The  revolution  had  had  its 
say  under  Robespierre;  the  cannon  had  had  its  say  under 
Bonaparte. 

Under  Louis  XVIII,  and  Charles  X,  intelligence  in  its 
turn  found  speech.  The  wind  ceased,  the  torch  was  relight- 
ed. The  pure  light  of  mind  was  seen  flickering  upon  the 
serene  summits.  A  magnificent  spectacle,  full  of  use  and 
charm.  For  fifteen  years  there  was  seen  at  work  in  complete 
peace  and  openly  in  public  places  those  great  principles  so 
old  to  the  thinker,  so  new  to  the  statesmen;  equality  before 
the  law,  freedom  of  conscience,  freedom  of  speech,  freedom 
of  the  press,  the  accessibility  of  every  function  to  every  apt- 
itude. 

Under  the  feet  of  eloquent  orators,  France  was  tribune 
of  the  republic  against  Europe,  of  freedom  against  despotism, 
of  democracy  against  the  monarchical  centuries. 

Monsieur  Cammille  became  a  man  of  renown  and  of  ac- 
tion. He  had  taken  a  position  upon  the  principles  of  absolute 
democracy ;  he  had  the  bravery  of  the  rostrum,  and  was  sub- 
ject to  outbursts  of  eloquence;  there  was  lightning  in  his 
eyes  and  the  thrill  of  a  hymn  in  his  speech.  His  figure  heroic 
but  graceful,  his  pure  and  lofty  brow,  his  abundant  hair 
billowing  in  the  wind,  presented  a  likeness  akin  to  the  cher- 
ubim of  Ezekiel,  and  the  angel  of  the  Apocalypse. 

He  was  regarded  by  the  Restoration  as  a  personal  ofiFense, 
represented  by  them  as  dangerous,  being  opposed  to  law  and 


EVADNE  III 

order.  The  adoration  of  his  wife  had  turned  to  scorn  and 
derision  which  banished  him  from  his  home.  By  his  former 
associates  he  was  proscribed  and  jeered  at. 

By  the  irresistible  movement  of  the  age,  many  royalists  be- 
came liberals,  and  liberals  were  becoming  democrats.  There 
were  associations  of  societies,  some  were  organized  and  some 
were  not  organized.  Composed  of  various  shades  and  differ- 
ing widely  in  all  things,  yet  having  one  aim — Progress,  the 
elevation  of  man,  happiness  and  wellbeing  for  all. 

There  was  one  group  of  minds  more  serious,  not  organized, 
all  young  men,  the  direct  sons  of  the  Revolution.  It  mat- 
tered not  to  them  what  their  parents  were;  royalists,  Bona- 
partists.  Liberals  or  Democrats;  they  attached  themselves 
without  an  intermediate  shade,  to  incorruptible  right,  and 
to  absolute  duty.  They  fathomed  principles,  they  longed  for 
the  absolute.  The  pure  blood  of  principle  flowed  in  their 
veins.  They  caught  glimpses  of  infinite  realities,  the  absolute 
by  its  very  rigidity  urges  the  mind  toward  the  skies,  and 
makes  it  soar  in  the  boundless.  This  group  often  solicited 
Monsieur  Cammille  to  speak  to  them  which  was  a  very  great 
pleasure  to  him. 

This  group  was  designated  the  A.  B.  Z. 

A  GREAT  ROYALIST 

Monsieur  Lenormand  was  a  thoroughbred  aristocrat. 
He  did  not  believe  much  in  God,  but  he  believed  in  a  state 
religion  as  a  matter  of  political  policy :  repression  of  the  peo- 
ple by  fear,  was  a  dogma  which  he  did  not  repudiate,  never- 
theless he  had  many  virtues,  private  and  public ;  he  was  sober, 
calm  and  cold. 


112  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

At  thirty-five  years  of  age,  in  '93  he  had  been  present  at 
the  trial  of  Louis  XVI,  he  had  watched  the  mad  whirl  of  the 
tribunal  assembly,  the  public  wrath  questioning  and  con- 
demning in  this  hapless  king,  the  fear  inspiring  criminal,  the 
monarchy.  But  the  republic  seemed  to  him  to  be  the 
criminal. 

If  anyone  ventured  to  eulogize  the  republic  in  his  presence 
he  would  say,  "What  are  we  coming  to  ?  What  are  we  com- 
ing to?  Surely  the  end  of  all  things  is  at  hand."  Your 
nineteenth  century  philosophy  is  very  bad. 

His  form  was  slight  but  elegant.     His  manners  polished. 

Monsieur  Lenormond  married  at  the  advanced  age  of 
forty-eight  years.  To  this  union  a  son  was  born.  They 
named  him  Jehan.  When  Jehan  was  eight  years  old,  his 
mother  died  of  a  lung  complaint.  In  this  boy  the  father 
found  great  comfort,  he  was  a  delight  and  a  constant  com- 
panion.   Jehan  was  exceedingly  fond  of  his  father. 

JEHAN 

On  that  beautiful  June  day  1831,  when  Jehan  met  Evadne 
coming  out  of  the  church,  he  was  twenty-four  years  of  age. 
At  that  time  he  was  completing  his  course  in  the  law  school, 
and  was  soon  to  become  a  lawyer. 

In  this  law  school  was  a  young  man  who  belonged  to  the 
A.  B.  Z.,  his  name  was  Charles.  Now  Jehan  and  Charles 
became  fast  freinds.  There  is  in  the  soul  of  some  youth  that 
innocent,  that  magnificent  something,  in  the  presence  of 
which  political  opinions  and  religious  prejudice  appear  very 
petty  and  mean.  The  first  time  Jehan  and  Charles  looked 
at   each  other,   their  countenances  chattered   and   told   all, 


EVADNE  113 

there  was  no  need  of  talk,  they  knew  each  other;  from  that 
moment   they   were   friends. 

At  the  time  Jehan  met  Evadne,  he  had  been  going  with 
Charles  to  the  assemblies  of  the  A.  B.  Z.,  Jehan  had  fallen 
in  the  midst  of  glowing  hearts,  and  thoroughly  convinced 
minds,  moreover  he  was  charmed  with  these  youthful  minds 
at  liberty  and  at  work.  He  heard  them  talk  of  philosopy, 
of  literature,  of  art,  of  history  and  religion  in  a  style  that  was 
astonishing.  And  he  felt  a  sort  of  internal  upsetting.  At 
the  same  time  he  was  conscious  of  an  expansion  of  the  mental 
horizon. 

One  evening  the  Charter  which  had  been  granted  by  the 
Restoration,  was  getting  handled  very  roughly,  an  unfortu- 
nate copy  of  the  Charter  lay  on  the  table.  Charles  seized  it, 
punctured  it,  and  mingled  the  rattling  of  it  with  his  argu- 
ments, he  said,  "I  will  have  no  kings,  by  the  side  of  the  hand 
which  gives  there  is  the  claw  which  snatches  back.  I  refuse 
your  charter  point  blank.  A  charter  is  a  mask;  the  lie  lurks 
beneath  it.  A  people  which  accepts  a  charter,  abdicates. 
The  law  is  only  the  law  when  entire.     NO !     No  charter !" 

Jehan  meditated  as  he  walked  along  the  street,  he  was 
thinking,  profoundly  turning  these  questions  over  in  his  mind 
which  made  him  majestic.  When  Evadne  saw  him  he  ap- 
peared to  her  like  the  phantom  of  her  dreams  suddenly  made 
flesh. 

Until  that  moment  Jehan  apparently  was  unconscious  that 
there  was  such  a  creature  as  woman  on  the  earth,  but  her 
marvelous  beauty  attracted  his  attention ;  and  then  that  glance 
of  coquetry,  wholly  innocent,  artful,  unconscious,  awakened 


114  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

in  his  soul  unknown  emotions.  Jehan  was  in  love  with  a 
woman. 

Now  Jehan  had  always  told  his  father  everything,  even  all 
that  he  had  heard  at  the  A.  B.  Z.  Monsieur  Lenormond 
was  a  man  of  great  self  control,  he  repressed  his  feelings  of 
grief  and  disappointment,  as  he  beheld  his  son  becoming  a 
revolutionist. 

At  dinner  that  evening  Jehan  told  his  father  about  meet- 
ing Evadne,  and  all  that  was  in  his  heart.  The  old  man 
smiled  and  was  glad,  he  gave  his  son  some  money  and  said, 
"Call  at  her  home."  Jehan  said,  "I  will  go  as  soon  as  dinner 
is  over." 

That  evening  Evadne  arranged  her  hair  in  the  most  becom- 
ing style,  and  put  on  one  of  her  prettiest  gowns.  Was  she 
going  out?  No?  Did  she  expect  visitors?  No.  She  made 
her  toilet  with  unusual  care  without  knowing  why  she  did  it. 

At  length  a  visitor  was  announced,  Evadne  went  down 
stairs.     It  was  Jehan. 

Madam  Cammille  was  not  pleased;  she  had  never  liked 
the  Lenormonds. 

Moreover,  there  was  a  certain  wealthy  nobleman,  Louis 
Mercereau,  who  loved  Evadne;  him  Madame  Cammille 
wished  Evadne  to  marry;  but  Evadne  did  not  love  him. 

ENCHANTMENTS 

Madame  Cammille  forbade  the  continuation  of  Jehan's 
visits;  nevertheless  as  love  cannot  be  conquered,  they  courted 
on  the  sly,  in  the  garden  like  Romeo  and  Juliet,  only  Jehan 
entered  the  garden  by  a  little  gate  in  an  obscure  corner;  he 
did  not  have  to  leap  over  the  wall  as  did  Romeo. 

Monsieur  Lenormond  was  delighted  to  see  his  son  in  love 


EVADNE  115 

to  the  extent  that  he  no  longer  went  to  the  A.  B.  Z.  He  was 
sure  that  Jehan  would  now  attend  to  his  love  affaii  and  leave 
the  government  alone  in  its  affairs. 

The  garden  in  which  hid  the  two  lovers  in  their  stolen 
visits  was  extraordinary  and  charming.  Through  the  branch- 
es of  the  trees  were  gleams  of  the  deep  blue  sky ;  on  the  lake 
white  swans  moved  majestically  over  the  placid  water;  tame 
doves  flew  about  and  ate  crumbs  out  of  their  hands;  birds 
twittered  and  sang  in  the  trees.  One  fine  day  when  Robin 
red-breast  was  singing  with  all  his  might,  Jehan  exclaimed, 
"Oh,  delight  of  the  birds!  It  is  because  they  have  nests  that 
they  sing."  Looking  about  a  little  sure  enough,  there  was  a 
nest  where  Sir  Robin's  modest  little  wife  kept  neat  at  home. 
In  the  nest  were  four  eggs.  "Ah,  Sir  Robin,"  cried  Jehan, 
"Soon  there  will  be  four  young  robins  with  wide  open 
mouths,  then  you  will  have  to  bestir  yourself  to  find  the 
morning  worm,  and  that  will  be  very  hard  on  a  gay  young 
fellow  like  you."  At  this  they  both  laughed  for  they  were 
fond  of  laughing ;  above  all  they  adored  each  other,  they  were 
enchanted  with  love.  It  seemed  to  them  that  love  had  a  sim- 
ple process  of  ending  all  mysteries.  The  open  book  of  nature 
before  them  offered  them  entertainment,  giving  them  promise 
of  unending  joy  in  the  way  of  purity,  righteousness  and  truth. 
The  book  of  nature  is  one  of  the  books  of  God,  the  Bible  is 
the  other. 

The  voice  in  these  two  books  is  One.  The  voice  of  God. 
The  soul  that  soars  beyond  the  petty  things  of  sense,  hears 
that  voice. 

The  love  of  these  two  beings  was  seraphic,  human  and 
divine.    "Human,"   did  you  say?    "Yes,"   But  Jehan  was 


ii6  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

conscious  of  a  barrier,  Evadne's  purity.  Evadne  of  a  support, 
Jehan's  loyalty. 

This  chaste  love  was  not  without  gallantry  by  any  means. 
Jehan  paid  compliments  to  the  woman  he  loved. 

"Oh,  how  beautiful  you  are."  You  are  adorable  Mademoi- 
selle. When  you  speak,  what  an  enchanted  gleam !  You  talk 
astonishingly  good  sense.  I  am  really  beside  myself;  "Dost 
thou  love  me?" 

Evadne  whispered,  "Thou  knowest  I  love  thee,"  and  laid 
her  head  on  the  shoulder  of  the  superb  and  enchanted  young 
man. 

On  one  occasion  Evadne  gazed  intently  at  him,  and  ex- 
claimed, "Monsieur,  you  are  handsome,  you  have  a  fine  air, 
you  are  witty  and  you  are  much  more  learned  than  I  am, 
but  I  challenge  you  on  that  word,  "I  love  you."  And  that 
was  to  Jehan  like  a  strain  sung  by  the  stars  in  the  very 
heavens. 

Months  rolled  by  in  this  manner. 

SHADOWS  AND  DESOLATIONS 

During  those  months  of  joys  and  delights,  Evadne's  maid 
who  was  loyal  to  her,  did  all  she  could  to  assist  and  protect 
her  in  her  love  affair. 

Now  Evadne  had  not  isolated  herself  from  society,  she 
pleaser  her  mother  very  much  by  her  brilliant  manners,  and 
dazzling  beauty.  Her  whole  person  was  permeated  with  the 
joy  of  youth,  purity  and  beauty  enhanced  by  ingeniousness 
and  exquisite  harmony  in  dress  and  manners. 

She  was  like  a  central  jewel  at  the  receptions  which  they 
gave  and  attended.  Though  Jehan  rarely  appeared  on  these 
occasions,  the  love  hidden  in  her  heart  shone  in  her  face  and 


EVADNE  117 

manners,  which  caused  her  to  be  gay  and  charming.  Only  it 
was  distressing  to  be  compelled  to  receive  the  attentions  of 
Monsieur  Louis  Beaumont.  It  was  in  fact  a  matter  of 
serious  reflection  as  to  how  her  loyalty  to  Jehan  would  ter- 
minate. 

Notwithstanding  the  irrepressible  conflict  here  below  in 
which  we  mortals  are  engaged,  events  occur  by  order  of 
powers  working  above  man. 

One  day  in  the  autumn,  a  malicious  servant  spying  around, 
saw  Evadne  and  Jehan  in  the  garden  and  ran  to  tell  Madame 
Cammille.  She  was  enraged.  Presently  she  reflected  that 
Evadne  did  not  know  that  Jehan  had  joined  the  democrats. 
When  Evadne  came  in  her  mother  said  to  her.  "Your  lover 
belongs  to  the  blood  drinking  republicans."  For  a  moment 
she  was  dumb  founded  and  knew  not  what  to  say.  When  she 
regained  possession  of  herself  she  exclaimed : 

"I  do  not  believe  it,  I  must  hear  it  from  his  own  lips." 
At  that  moment  the  Bishop  came  in. 

"This  happens  just  right."  said  Madame  Cammille.  She 
then  related  the  affair  to  him.  The  Bishop  said  that  he  knew 
Jehan,  and  that  he  had  seen  him  deliberating  with  the  revo- 
lutionists. Furthermore,  he  was  a  profane  irreligious  youth 
and  that  union  with  him  would  not  be  recognized  by  the 
church  as  a  lawful  marriage  at  all,  that  their  offspring  would 
be  illegitimate.  And  so  the  poor  heart  broken  girl  entered 
the  shadow  ot  a  monstrous  lie. 

And  when  the  hour  of  the  lovers  again  came,  Jehan  was 
there  joyously  waiting.  Soon  Evadne  came,  but  Oh,  so 
different.     Her  face  was  changed  toward  him. 

She  said,  "I  have  come  to  say  to  you  that  since  you  are 


ii8  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

a  republican  our  engagement  is  broken.  We  must  see  each 
other  no  more."  She  gave  him  her  ring  and  went  away, 
leaving  him  petrified  with  astonishment.  He  walked  away 
in  despair. 

Jehan  had  indeed  ceased  to  attend  the  assemblies  of  his 
friends,  giving  no  attention  to  political  questions,  until  just 
recently  his  attention  was  solicited  by  the  patriots,  and  he 
had  appeared  in  public  with  them.  He  was  intending  to  tell 
Evadne  all  about  his  public  duties,  but  alas,  how  should  he 
continue  to  live.  Why  do  people  still  live  when  all  love  and 
joy  is  gone?    It  is  because  there  is  hope. 

"Into  each  life  some  rain  must  fall,  some  days  be  dark 
and  dreary."    And  then  the  rainbow  of  hope  appears. 

Jehan  kept  the  secret  of  his  sorrow  to  himself. 

He  appeared  in  the  presence  of  his  father  with  a  smile  on 
his  face  and  anguish  in  his  heart. 


119 


CHAPTER  XI. 


THE  RESTORATION 


When  the  royal  house  of  Bourbon  by  the  hand  of  Louis 
XVIII,  granted  that  charter  of  Liberty  to  the  people 
of  France,  it  was  not  their  intention  that  personal  liberty 
should  continue  at  all. 

"When  the  hour  seemed  to  have  come,  the  Restoration 
supposing  itself  victorious  over  Bonaparte  and  well  rooted 
in  the  country,  that  is  to  say,  believing  itself  to  be  strong 
and  deep,  abruptly  decided  on  its  plan  of  action  and  risked 
its  stroke.  One  morning  it  drew  itself  up  before  the  face  of 
France,  and  elevating  its  voice,  it  contested  the  collective 
title  and  the  individual  right  of  the  nation  to  sovereignty, 
of  the  citizen  to  liberty.  In  other  words  it  denied  to  the 
nation  that  which  made  it  a  nation,  and  to  the  citizen  that 
which  made  him  a  citizen. 

"The  predestined  family  which  returned  to  France  when 
Napoleon  fell,  had  the  fatal  simplicity  to  believe  that  it  was 
itself  which  bestowed,  and  that  what  it  bestowed  it  could 
take  back  again,  that  the  house  of  Bourbon  possessed  the  right 
divine,  that  France  possessed  nothing,  and  that  the  political 
liberty  conceded  in  the  Charter  of  Louis  XVIII,  was  merely 
a  branch  of  the  right  divine,  was  detached  by  the  House  of 
Bourbon  and  graciously  given  to  the  people  until  such  day 
as  it  should  please  the  king  to  reassume  it.     Still  the  House 


I20  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

of  Bourbon  should  have  felt,  from  the  displeasure  created  by 
the  gift,  that  it  did  come  from  it. 

That  liberty  which  had  been  granted  by  the  Restoration 
was  not  the  kind  of  liberty  the  people  of  France  wanted. 
It  was  with  longing  hearts  and  glowing  eyes  that  they  gazed 
across  the  blue  Atlantic  and  beheld  the  people  of  America 
in  possesson  of  that  kind  of  liberty  which  cannot  be  "grant- 
ed." This  liberty  they  must  possess  themselves.  It  is  the  abso- 
lute opposite  of  the  liberty  granted  by  Louis  XVIII. 

AMERICAN    LIBERTY. 

"American  liberty  never  was  granted  by  anybody  to  any- 
body ;  much  less  was  it  granted  by  the  American  government 
to  anybody. 

"American  liberty  cannot  be  granted.  It  is  not  of  the  sort 
of  things  than  can  be  'granted.' 

"American  liberty  is  originally  and  inherently  possessed 
by  every  soul,  as  the  direct  endowment  of  the  Creator  in  the 
very  act  and  fact  of  the  creation  of  the  man. 

Each  person  has  this  liberty  just  because  he  exists,  and 
without  any  reference  whatever  to  State  or  Government. 
He  had  it  before  any  human  government  ever  was;  and  he 
will  have  it  after  they  are  all  gone. 

Every  American  had  this  liberty  before  there  was  any 
American  Government :  while  yet  all  the  form  of  any  govern- 
ment that  was  here  was  British  and  Romish,  and  all  the 
"liberty"  recognized  was  that  which  was  "granted." 

Accordingly  these  Americans  said  that  "liberty"  that  is 
"granted"  or  that  can  be  granted  is  not  liberty. 


THE  RESTORATION  I2l 

Therefore  they  proclaimed  the  original  and  true  American 
Liberty,  as  follows: 

"We  hold  these  truths  to  be  self  evident : 

•*That  all  men  are  created  equal; 

"That  they  are  endowed  by  their  Creator  with  certain 
inalienable  rights; 

"That  among  these  are  life,  LIBERTY,  and  the  pursuit 
of  happiness." 

And  instead  of  the  Government  "granting"  to  the  people 
"liberty,"  it  is  the  people  already  possessed  of  liberty  who 
granted  to  the  Government  all  that  it  has  or  ever  rightly 
can  have,  even  to  its  very  existence. 

And  here  is  the  original  and  American  statement  of  that 
"self-evident  truth :" 

"That  to  secure  these  rights  governments  are  instituted 
among  men,  deriving  their  just  powers  from  the  consent  of 
the  governed. 

"That  when  any  form  of  government  becomes  destructive 
of  these  ends,  it  is  the  right  of  the  people  to  alter  or  to 
abolish  it  and  to  institute  a  new  government;  laying  its 
foundation  on  such  principles  and  organizing  its  powers  in 
such  form  as  to  them  shall  seem  most  likely  to  effect  their 
safety  and  happiness." 

"Thus  in  just  two  sentences  there  was  annihilated  the 
doctrine  of  despotism  that  had  been  anointed  and  "hallowed" 
by  the  Church  of  Rome,  and  fortified  with  the  "holy"  prece- 
dents of  twelve  hundred  years — the  doctrine  of  the  divine 
right  of  rulers.  And  in  the  place  of  the  old  falsehood  and 
despotic  theory  of  the  sovereignty  of  the  government  and 
the  subjection  of  the  people,  there  was  declared  to  all  nations 


122  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

and  for  all  time  the  self-evident  truth  and  divine  principle 
of  the  subjection  of  the  government  and  the  sovereignty  of 
the  people. 

"The  Declaration  in  itself,  presupposes  that  men  are  men 
indeed  and  that  as  such  they  are  fully  capable  of  deciding 
for  themselves  what  is  best  for  their  safety  and  happiness, 
and  how  they  shall  pursue  these,  without  the  government 
being  set  up  as  a  parent  or  guardian  to  deal  with  them  as 
with  children. 

"In  those  two  splendid  sentences  there  is  declared  not  only 
the  complete  subordination  of  government,  but  also  the  ab- 
solute impersonality  of  it. 

"It  is  therein  declared  that  the  government  is  but  a  de- 
vice, a  mere  piece  of  political  machinery,  framed  and  set  up 
by  the  people,  by  which  they  would  make  themselves  secure 
in  the  enjoyment  of  the  inalienable  rights  which  they  already 
possess  just  because  they  are  men  and  not  by  any  "grant"  or 
result  of  government. 

"The  rights  which  were  theirs  before  the  government  was, 
which  is  their  own  in  the  essential  meaning  of  the  term,  and 
"which  they  do  not  hold  by  any  sub-infeudation ;  but  by  the 
direct  homage  and  allegiance  to  the  Owner  and  Lord  of  all." 

"And  in  establishing  the  impersonality  of  government, 
there  is  wholly  uprooted  all  vestige  of  any  character  of 
paternity  in  the  government." 

PERFECT    CIVIL   GOVERNMENT. 

In  declaring  the  equality  of  all  men  in  the  possession  of 
these  inalienable  rights,  there  is  declared  the  strongest  pos- 
sible safeguard  of  the  rights  of  all  the  people.     For,  this 


THE  RESTORATION  123 

being  the  principle  espoused  by  all  the  people,  each  one 
stands  thereby  pledged  to  the  support  of  the  principle  in  all 
relations. 

Therefore  each  individual  is  pledged,  in  the  exercise  of 
his  own  inalienable  right  to  life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of 
happiness,  so  to  act  as  not  to  interfere  with  any  other  person 
in  the  free  exercise  of  his  right  to  life,  liberty,  and  the  pur- 
suit of  happiness. 

Any  person  who  so  acts  as  to  restrict  or  interfere  with 
the  free  exercise  of  any  other  person's  right  to  life,  liberty, 
and  the  pursuit  of  happiness,  denies  the  principle,  to  the 
maintenance  of  which  he  is  pledged;  and  does  in  effect  sub- 
vert the  government. 

For,  rights  being  equal,  if  any  one  may  so  act,  then  every 
other  one  has  equal  right  to  do  the  same:  and  thus  no  man's 
right  would  be  recognized,  the  government  of  Liberty  would 
be  supplanted  with  a  government  of  some  other  form.  And 
that  would  inevitably  be  a  despotism. 

"Therefore  by  every  instinct,  personal  as  well  as  general, 
private  as  well  as  public,  every  individual  of  the  people  is 
pledged  in  his  own  enjojnnent  of  life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit 
of  happiness,  so  to  conduct  himself  as  not  to  infringe  in  the 
least  degree  the  equal  right  of  every  other  one  to  the  free  and 
full  exercise  of  his  enjoyment  of  life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit 
of  happiness. 

"Thus  the  Declaration  of  Independence  announces,  all 
American  Liberty  is  the  perfect  principle  of  civil  government. 
If  this  principle  were  conformed  to  by  each  one  individually, 
the  government  would  be  a  perfect  civil  government.  For 
it  is  simply  the  principle  of  self-government — government  of 


124  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

the  people,  by  the  people,  and  for  the  people.  Each  one 
governs  himself,  he  does  it  for  his  own  good  and  in  that  the 
good  of  all."—* 

The  men  of  the  Restoration  had  a  simple  process  of  glori- 
fying the  Past,  the  Middle  Ages,  they  applied  a  glazing 
which  they  called  social  order,  divine  right,  respect  of  elders, 
morality,  religion;  and  they  called  it  logic.  These  sooth- 
sayers insist  upon  forms  composed  of  suppressions,  bigotry, 
affected  devotions,  prejudices.  These  forms  are  phantoms 
which  have  nails  of  brass  and  teeth  of  iron  in  the  smoke,  and 
they  are  tenacious  of  life.  The  question  may  properly  be 
asked, — Is  it  the  fate  of  humanity  to  eternally  combat  phan- 
toms in  the  dark? 

These  men,  smiling,  gilded,  with  their  elbows  on  a  velvet 
table,  insisting  on  demeanor  and  the  preservation  of  the  Past, 
gloried  in  low  tones,  the  sword,  the  stake,  the  scaffold ;  these 
with  three  hundred  thousand  privileged  persons  absorbing 
the  whole  country  with  its  riches. 

Meanwhile  overwhelming  difficulties  appeared,  piles  of 
shadows  covered  the  horizon.  There  was  distress  of  the  peo- 
ple, laborers  without  bread,  prostitution  of  women,  the  fate 
of  the  child. 

The  people  of  thought  and  of  toil  beheld  a  hideous  balance 
whose  two  scales,  pauperism  and  paracitism,  mournfully  pre- 
serving their  equilibrium,  oscillate  before  them. 

On  the  brow  of  this  people  of  toil  and  of  thought  appeared 
wrath  in  crater-like  crimson,  the  sign  of  a  possible  revolution. 

The  government  saw  this  and  was  uneasy,  but  counted  on 


*  A.  T.  Jones,  "American  Sentinel  of  Religious  Liberty.' 


THE  RESTORATION  125 

the  passive  obedience  of  its  legions  of  soldiers  to  repress  all 
violent  protests  by  the  force  of  arms  in  the  name  of  Public 
Order. 

THE  STORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  LIBERTY 

One  day,  Evadne,  without  knowing  why  she  did  it,  mount- 
ed the  little  stairway  and  went  up  to  the  attic  of  the  grand 
old  mansion,  looking  around  she  saw  a  lot  of  old  books,  and 
began  to  look  them  over.  Soon  she  found  the  notes  which  her 
father  had  made.  Out  of  curiosity  she  glanced  them  over, 
as  she  did  so,  astonishment  and  surprise  seized  her.  What 
loftiness  of  sentiment :  wonderful  revelation ;  facts  of  history 
of  which  she  had  never  heard.  She  read  a  long  while.  Then 
daily  she  ascended  the  stairs  to  the  attic  to  read.  There  was 
also  a  copy  of  the  New  Testament,  St.  James  translation, 
from  which  her  father  had  quoted  much;  this  she  eagerly 
read,  her  soul  was  dazzled  by  the  beauty  and  simplicity  of 
that  "sweet  story  of  old." 

She  suspected  that  she  had  been  deceived  concerning  her 
father.     She  had. 

In  this  bewilderment  of  her  God-given  faculties,  over- 
whelmed with  sorrow,  amid  clouds  and  thick  darkness  in  the 
separation  from  her  lover,  she  now  determined  to  go  to  the 
root  of  the  whole  matter  until  she  knew  the  truth  for  herself. 
For  did  not  the  Master  say,  "Ye  shall  know  the  truth  and 
the  truth  shall  make  you  free." 

Evadne  read  the  story  of  how  Religious  Liberty  was  won 
in  America. 

This  story  is  good  for  the  people  of  the  world  in  our  day, 
and  we  shall  set  it  down  at  this  point.  Lest  we  forget  it, 
lest  we  forget  it. 


126  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 


THE  STORY 

"It  was  in  Virginia  where  was  begun  for  this  nation  and 
for  all  mankind  the  contest  for  Religious  Liberty.  And  from 
Virginia,  and  by  the  very  same  men  by  whom  it  was  begun,  it 
was  carried  into  the  field  of  national  affairs,  and  was  there 
established  as  Constitutional. 

And  in  Virginia  at  its  beginning,  the  contest  had  no  refer- 
ence whatever  to  the  union  or  to  the  separation  of  church  and 
State.  It  had  reference  only  and  wholly  to  the  union  or  the 
separation  of  religion,  specifically  'the  Christian'  and  the 
State. 

"Also,  be  it  understood  that  when  this  contest  was  begun, 
it  was  not  for  the  purpose  of  separating  church  and  State. 

"It  was  not  even  for  the  purpose  of  separating  religion 
and  the  State. 

"It  was  expressly  and  wholly  to  prevent  the  union  of  'the 
Christian  religion'  and  the  State. 

"It  was  to  preserve  the  full  Religious  Liberty  that  people 
of  Virginia  had,  and  which  was  sought  to  be  subverted  by  a 
union  of  the  'Christian  Religion'  and  the  State. 

"There  had  been  in  Virgina  the  union  of  church  and  State. 
But  that  had  been  swept  away  December,  1776. 

"Thus  the  people  of  Virginia  were  free  from  all  con- 
nection between  church  and  State.  They  had  Religious 
Liberty. 

"Then  it  was  that  there  was  begun  the  effort  to  subvert 
this  Religious  Liberty  by  a  union  of  the  Christian  religion 
and  the  State. 

"And,  in  the  triumphant  defeat  of  that  effort  to  subvert 


THE  RESTORATION  127 

Religious  Liberty  by  a  union  of  the  'Christian  Religion'  and 
the  State,  there  was  confirmed  to  the  people  of  Virginia,  and 
secured  to  the  people  of  the  whole  nation,  the  Religious  Lib- 
erty that  is  Christian,  that  is  Protestant,  that  is  American, 
and  that  is  Constitutional." 

THE   FACTS 

"In  1778,  by  the  Episcopalians  and  the  Methodists,  peti- 
tions were  presented  to  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia, 
pleading  for  the  levy  of  a  general  tax  for  the  support  of 
'teachers  of  the  Christian  religion.' 

**A  bill  was  framed  accordingly,  entitled,  'A  Bill  Establish- 
ing a  Provision  for  Teachers  of  the  Christian  Religion.' 

"This  movement  was  opposed  by  the  Baptists,  the  Quakers 
and  the  Presbyterians;  and  in  the  General  Assembly,  the 
opposition  was  led  by  Thomas  Jefferson. 

"To  the  opposition,  in  1779,  Jefferson  gave  a  rallying  point 
by  the  introduction  of  a  bill  entitled,  *An  Act  for  Establish- 
ing Religious  Freedom.' 

"The  bill  establishing  a  provision  for  teachers  of  the 
'Christian  Religion'  was  defeated  after  it  had  been  ordered 
to  the  third  reading,  in  1779. 

"Then  Jefferson's  bill,  'For  Establishing  Religious  Free- 
dom' was  submitted  to  the  'whole  people  of  Virginia  for 
their  deliberate  reflection,'  before  the  vote  should  be  taken  on 
it  in  the  legislature.  By  this  time,  1780,  this  whole  subject 
was  put  into  the  background  by  the  transcendent  interests  of 
the  War  for  Independence. 

"Yet  the  contest  for  the  subversion  of  Religious  Liberty 
by  establishing  the  'Christian  Religion'  was  allowed  to  be 


128  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

only  secondary  to  the  actual  War  for  Independence.  For  at 
the  first  opportunity,  in  the  fall  of  1784,  the  subject  was 
again  forced  upon  the  General  Assembly  by  the  former  peti- 
tioners under  the  lead  of  the  'Protestant  Episcopal  Church/ 

"Their  petitions  were  now  favored  by  Patrick  Henry, 
Harrison,  then  governor;  Pendelton,  Chancellor,  Richard 
Henry  Lee,  and  many  other  of  the  foremost  men.  These 
alleged  a  decay  of  public  morals,  and  the  remedy  asked  for 
was  a  general  assessment. 

"Patrick  Henry  introduced  a  resolution  to  allow  the  pre- 
sentation of  a  bill  in  accordance  with  the  wishes  of  the  peti- 
tioners. Against  all  opposition,  leave  to  bring  in  the  bill  was 
granted  by  forty-seven  votes  against  thirty-two.  And  there 
was  again  introduced  the  same  old,  'Bill  Establishing  a  Pro- 
vision for  Teachers  of  the  Christian  Religion.' 

"The  opposition  was  the  same  as  formerly  except  the  Pres- 
byterian Clergy  swerved  and  'accepted  the  measure.' 

'The  leader  of  the  opposition  was  now  James  Madison, 
instead  of  Thomas  Jefferson,  because  Jefferson  was  out  of  the 
country  as  minister  to  France.  However,  by  correspondence, 
he  continued  in  the  contest.  Washington  was  also  of  the  op- 
position in  behalf  of  Religious  Liberty. 

"Again  the  bill  was  successfully  carried  to  the  third  read- 
ing. There  its  progress  was  checked  and  the  vote  prevented 
by  a  motion  that  the  matter  be  postponed  to  the  next  General 
Assembly,  and  that  meantime  the  bill  be  printed  and  dis- 
tributed among  the  people  for  their  deliberate  consideration. 
This  motion  the  more  easily  carried  because  of  the  fact  that 
Jefferson's  bill  of  1779  was  still  before  the  people  for  their 
consideration. 


THE  RESTORATION  129 

"Thus  in  the  two  bills  there  was  now  before  the  whole 
people  of  Virginia  for  their  consideration  and  action,  the 
whole  subject  in  both  its  aspects:  Religious  Liberty,  and  the 
establishment  of  the  'Christian  Religion.' 

"From  the  sea  to  the  mountains  and  beyong  them,  all  the 
State  was  alive  with  the  discussion.  The  strongest  men  of 
the  times  of  the  Revolution,  with  all  their  splendid  powers, 
were  in  the  contest.  The  result  was  that  when  the  legisla- 
ture of  Virginia  assembled,  no  person  was  willing  to  bring 
forward  the  Assessment  Bill ;  and  it  was  never  heard  of  more. 
And  Jefferson's  original  'Bill  Establishing  Religious  Free- 
dom' was  immediately  passed  by  the  House,  December,  1785, 
by  a  vote  of  nearly  four  to  one,  and  by  Senate,  January  16, 
1786. 

"Thus  triumphantly  Religious  Liberty  gained  the  day. 

"And  it  was  Religious  Liberty  against  'the  Establishment 
of  the  Christian  Religion.' 

"It  was  Religious  Liberty  against  the  State  recognition 
or  support  of  the  'Christian  Religion.' 

AS  CONSTITUTIONAL 

"Out  of  that  campaign  which  they  had  led  to  such  a  tri- 
umphant issue  in  Virginia,  Madison  and  Washington  went 
directly  into  the  convention  that  framed  the  Constitution  for 
the  whole  nation.  And  they  carried  with  them  there  and 
into  the  Constitution  the  same  principles  of  Religious  Liberty 
in  the  total  exclusion  of  the  State  from  any  recognition  of 
Religion,  that  they  had  made  triumphant  in  Virginia. 

"That  great  discussion  in  Virginia  had  not  been  confined 
to  Virginia.     It  had  spread  throughout  all  the  other  States. 


130  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

And  when  the  Constitution  embodying  these  principles  of 
Religious  Liberty  came  before  the  whole  people  of  the  Unite4 
States  for  ratification,  the  whole  people  were  fully  prepared. 
And  because  of  this  the  people  of  the  United  States  not  only 
ratified  what  had  been  done,  but  they  made  the  Constitution 
more  emphatic  for  Religious  Liberty  by  the  very  first  words 
of  the  first  Amendment:  'Congress  shall  make  no  law  re- 
specting the  establishment  of  Religion,  or  prohibiting  the  free 
exercise  thereof.' 

"And  President  Washington  completed  the  splendid  story, 
and  his  part  in  it,  by  writing  as  *A  part  of  the  supreme  law,' 
the  crowning  words: 

"  'The  government  of  the  United  States  is  not  in  any  sense 
founded  upon  the  Christian  Religion.' 

"Thus,  certainly  do  the  facts  demonstrate  that  the  Ameri- 
can and  Constitutional  principle  of  Religious  Liberty  is  not 
separation  of  church  and  State  only,  nor  as  such,  but  is  ex- 
pressly the  separation  of  religion  and  the  State,  and  specifical- 
ly the  Christian  religion. 

"In  all  the  documents  that  are  the  essential  features  of  the 
issue,  there  is  not  once  found  the  phrase,  'Church  and  State,' 
nor  any  phrase  of  the  same  import:  As  indeed  by  the  very 
nature  of  the  issue  there  was  no  room  for  any. 

"Throughout,  the  phrases  are  'Religion,"  in  the  abstract, 
'The  Christian  Religion,'  'Christianity,'  'the  legal  establish- 
ment of  Christianity.' 

"This  is  what  was  opposed  in  the  interests  of  Religious 
Liberty. 

PRINCIPLES  AND  ARGUMENT 

"Those  who  won  for  this  nation  and  for  the  world  this 


THE  RESTORATION  131 

Religious  Liberty,  said  that  the  proposal  for  the  legal  recog- 
nition and  support  of  'the  Christian  Religion'  was  entirely 
subversive  of  Religious  Liberty. 

"This  is  so,  they  said,  because  it  is  a  'departure  from  the 
plan  of  the  holy  author  of  our  religion,  who,  being  Lord  of 
both  body  and  mind,  yet  chose  not  to  propagate  it  by  coercion 
of  either,  as  was  in  His  Almighty  power  to  do.* 

"They  said  that  it  is  'a  contradiction  to  the  Christian  re- 
ligion, and  even  a  contradiction  in  terms,  because  a  religion 
not  invented  by  human  policy  must  have  pre-existed  and  been 
supported  before  it  was  established  by  human  policy.* 

"They  said  that  the  bill  implies,  either  that  the  civil  magis- 
trate is  a  competent  judge  of  religious  truths,  or,  that  he  may 
employ  religion  as  an  engine  of  civil  policy. 

"The  first  is  an  arrogant  pretension,  falsified  by  the  con- 
tradictory opinions  of  rulers  in  all  ages,  and  throughout  the 
world : 

"The  second,  an  unhallowed  perversion  of  the  means  of 
salvation." 

INALIENABLE  RIGHT 

"They  said  that  to  judge  for  ourselves  and  to  engage  in 
the  exercise  of  religion  agreeable  to  the  dictates  of  our  own 
consciences,  is  an  unalienable  right,  which,  upon  the  princi- 
ples on  which  the  Gospel  was  first  propagated  and  the  Refor- 
mation from  popery  carried  on,  can  never  be  transferred  to 
another. 

"This  right  is  in  its  nature  an  unalienable  right. 

"Because  the  opinons  of  men,  depending  only  on  the  evi- 
dence contemplated  in  their  own  minds,  cannot  follow  the 
dictates  of  other  men; 


132  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

"Also  because  what  is  here  a  right  towards  men  is  a  duty 
towards  the  Creator. 

"It  is  the  duty  of  every  man  to  render  to  the  Creator 
such  homage,  and  such  only,  as  he  believes  to  be  acceptable  to 
Him.  This  duty  is  precedent  both  in  order  of  time  and  in 
degree  of  obligation,  to  the  claims  of  civil  society. 

EQUALITY 

"They  said  that  the  bill  violates  that  equality  which  ought 
to  be  the  basis  of  every  law : 

"  'Whilst  we  assert  for  ourselves  a  freedom  to  embrace,  to 
profess,  and  to  observe,  the  religion  which  we  believe  to  be  of 
divine  origin,  we  cannot  deny  an  equal  freedom  to  those 
whose  minds  have  not  yet  yielded  to  the  evidence  which  has 
convinced  us.' 

"  'If  this  freedom  be  abused,  it  is  an  offense  against  God, 
not  against  man.  To  God,  therefore,  not  to  man,  must  an 
account  of  it  be  rendered.' 

THE  FRUITS 

"They  said,  'The  question  has  been  stated  as  if  it  were, 
is  religion  necessary?  The  true  question  is,  are  establish- 
ments necessary  to  religion?' 

"The  answer  is,  they  corrupt  religion.  The  enforced  sup- 
port of  the  Christian  religion  dishonors  Christianity. 

"During  almost  fifteen  centuries  has  the  legal  establish- 
ment of  Christianity  been  on  trial.  What  have  been  its 
fruits,  more  or  less,  in  all  places? 

"Pride  and  indolence  in  the  clergy,  ignorance  and  servility 
in  the  laity;  in  both,  superstition,  bigotry  and  persecution. 


THE  RESTORATION  133 

"What  influence,  in  fact,  have  ecclesiastical  establishments 
had  on  civil  society? 

"In  some  instances  they  have  been  seen  to  erect  a  spirtual 
tyranny  on  the  ruins  of  civil  authority. 

"In  many  instances  they  have  been  upholding  the  thrones 
of  political  tyranny. 

"In  no  instance  have  they  been  seen  the  guardians  of  the 
liberties  of  the  people." 

NO  SUCH  AUTHORITY 

"They  said  that,  'The  same  authority  w^hich  can  force  a 
citizen  to  contribute  three  pence  only,  of  his  property,  for 
the  support  of  any  one  establishment  may  force  him  to  con- 
form to  any  other  establishment  in  all  cases  whatever.' 

"To  compel  a  man  to  furnish  contributions  of  money  for 
the  propagation  of  opinions  which  he  disbelieves,  is  sinful  and 
tyrannical. 

"  'Either,  then,  we  must  say  that  the  will  of  the  Legisla- 
ture is  the  measure  of  their  authority,  and  that  in  the  plen- 
titude  of  that  authority  they  may  sweep  away  all  our  funda- 
mental rights.* 

"  'Or  that  they  are  bound  to  leave  this  particular  right 
untouched  and  sacred.* 

"  'Either  we  must  say  that  they  may  control  the  freedom 
of  the  press,  may  abolish  the  trial  by  jury,  may  swallow  up 
the  executive  and  judicial  powers  of  the  State;  nay,  that  they 
may  despoil  us  of  our  very  rights  of  suffrage,  and  erect  them- 
selves into  an  independent  and  hereditary  assembly.' 

"  'Or  we  must  say  that  they  have  no  authority  to  enact 
into  law,  the  bill  under  consideration.' 


134  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

"  *We  say  that  the  General  Assembly  of  this  commonwealth 
has  no  such  authority.'  " 

THE  CERTAIN  CONSEQUENCES 

"They  said:  'Who  does  not  see  that  the  same  authority 
which  can  establish  Christianity  in  exclusion  of  all  other  re- 
ligions, may  establish  with  the  same  ease  any  particular  sect 
of  Christianity  in  exclusion  of  all  other  sects?' 

"/In  the  event  of  a  statute  for  the  support  of  the  Christian 
religion,  are  the  courts  of  law  to  decide  what  is  Christianity? 
and  as  a  consequence,  decide  what  is  authority  and  what  is 
heresy  ?' 

"  'It  is  impossible  for  the  magistrate  to  adjudge  the  right 
of  preference  among  the  various  sects  that  profess  the  Chris- 
tian faith,  without  erecting  a  claim  to  infallibility  which 
would  lead  us  back  to  the  Church  of  Rome.'  " 

THE  INQUISITION 

"They  said :  'What  a  melancholy  mark  is  this  bill  of  sud- 
den degeneracy:  Instead  of  holding  forth  an  asylum  to  the 
persecuted,  it  is  a  signal  of  persecution.' 

"Distant  as  it  may  be  in  its  present  form  from  the  inquisi- 
tion, it  differs  from  it  only  in  degree.  The  one  is  the  first 
step,  the  other  is  the  last,  in  the  career  of  intolerance. 

"Nothing  is  more  evident,  both  in  reason  and  the  holy 
Scriptures,  than  that  religion  is  ever  a  matter  between  God 
and  individuals.  Therefore,  no  man  or  men  can  impose  any 
religious  test  without  invading  the  essential  prerogatives  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
"Ministers  first  assumed  the  power  under  the  Christian 


THE  RESTORATION  135 

name,  and  then  Constantine  approved  of  the  practice  when  he 
adopted  the  profession  of  Christianity  as  an  engine  for  State 
policy;  and  let  the  history  of  all  nations  be  searched  from 
that  day  to  this,  and  it  will  appear  that  the  imposing  of  re- 
ligious tests  has  been  the  greatest  engine  of  tyranny  in  the 
world." 

THE  FIRST  DUTY 

"They  said  that,  *It  is  proper  to  take  alarm  at  the  first 
experiment  upon  our  liberties.  We  hold  this  prudent*  jeal- 
ousy to  be  the  first  duty  of  a  citizen,  and  one  of  the  noblest 
characteristics  of  the  late  Revolution. 

"  'The  freemen  of  America  did  not  wait  till  usurped 
power  had  strengthened  itself  by  exercise,  and  entangled  the 
question  in  precedents.  They  saw  all  the  consequences  in  the 
principle.  And  they  avoided  the  consequences  by  denying 
the  principle.' 

"  'We  revere  this  lesson  too  much,  soon  to  forget.'  " 
*     *     *     * 

After  days,  weeks,  even  months  of  reading,  the  mind  of 
this  girl  was  completely  revolutionized.  Her  father  and 
lover  now  seemed  to  her  like  heroes  worthy  of  mention  in  the 
Temple  of  Fame.  Her  one  anxiety  now  was,  that  they 
should  be  restored  to  her.     What  happened? 

Monsieur  Cammille  was  at  this  time  ill  in  the  hospital. 
He  felt  that  the  end  was  approaching,  and  he  longed  and 
mourned  for  his  daughter. 

Now,  Evadne  had  decided  to  devote  her  life  to  philan- 
thropy, she  was  in  the  habit  of  visiting  the  sick  in  this  hos- 
pital.   Accordingly,  one  day  when  she  went  there  the  nurse 


136  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

called  her  attention  to  a  white  haired  man,  saying,  "He 
mourns  for  his  daughter." 

"What  is  his  name?"  inquired  Evadne. 

"Monsieur  Cammille,"  answered  the  nurse. 

Evadne  approached.  He  was  asleep.  She  took  a  seat  by 
his  side  and  began  to  sing  softly,  the  "Marseillaise."  He 
opened  his  eyes,  gazed  intently  into  her  face  and  soon  learned 
that  it  was  his  daughter. — ^What  joy ! 

When  Evadne  was  sure  of  her  faith,  she  said  to  Madame 
Cammille,  "Mother,  we  have  been  mistaken  concerning  the 
keys  of  the  kingdom  which  the  Lord  gave  to  Saint  Peter." 

"What  do  you  mean?"  inquired  Madame  Cammille  in 
surprise. 

"The  kingdom  of  God  is  not  the  Roman  Catholic  Church 
that  great  church  kingdom  as  we  have  been  taught  to  be- 
lieve. It  is  far  different  than  any  church  power  that  can  ever 
be  formed  by  man."  Madame  Cammille  interrupted,  "You 
intend  to  question  the  magnificent  Church;  are  you  wiser 
than  all  the  holy  popes,  and  the  great  men  of  all  these  cen- 
turies ?" 

"Mother,  hear  the  Holy  Scriptures:" — 

Evadne  reads:  "Jerusalem  which  is  above  is  free,  which 
is  the  mother  of  us  all."  "Ye  are  come  unto  the  city  of  the 
living  God,  the  heavenly  Jerusalem — to  the  general  assembly 
and  church  of  the  first  born  which  are  written  in  heaven." 
"For  this  cause  I  bow  my  knees  unto  the  Father  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  of  whom  the  whole  family  in  heaven  and  earth 
is  named." — "That,"  said  Evadne,  "is  the  true  Catholic 
Church,  of  that  church,  the  church  of  Rome  is  not  even  a 
part,  and  Jerusalem,  not  Rome,  is  the  Eternal  City." 


THE  RESTORATION  137 

"For  Christ,  not  the  Pope,  is  the  head  of  the  Church." 
"God — hath  put  all  things  under  His  (Christ's)  feet  and 
gave  Him  to  be  the  head  over  all  things  to  the  church  vv^hich 
is  His  body,  the  fulness  of  Him  that  filleth  all  in  all."  How 
truly  universal  is  that  church,  how  magnificent,  the  other  is 
very  petty  and  mean." 

Madame  Cammille  grew  pale,  then  crimson — presently  she 
exclaimed,  "Abominable  child,  you  shall  see,  you  shall  be 
punished  for  your  heresy." 

Evadne  said,  "I  fear  not  the  Pope,  I  fear  God  only." 

She  was  locked  in  a  hideous  room  and  left  alone. 

Gal.  4:26;  Heb.  12:22,  23;  Eph.  3:14,  15;  1:17,  22,  23. 


13? 


CHAPTER  XII. 

RUMORS  AND  TUMULTS 

"The  year  of  1832  opened  with  something  impending  and 
dreadful.  Plots,  conspiracies,  risings  and  cholera  added  the 
sombre  roar  of  tumults  of  events  to  the  sombre  roar  of  ideas 

"Toward  the  beginning  of  May  there  were  signs  of  a  vast 
underlying  conflagration,  something  terrible  was  in  prepara- 
tion. 

"The  Faubourgh  Saint  Antoine,  more  than  any  other 
group,  accentuated  the  situation  and  made  it  felt.  That  was 
the  sore  point.  This  old  faubourgh,  peopled  like  an  ant  hill, 
laborious,  courageous,  and  angry  as  a  hive  of  bees,  was  quiv- 
ering with  expectation,  and  with  a  desire  for  a  tumult.  In 
this  faubourgh  exists  poignant  distress  hidden  under  attic 
roofs,  there  also  exists  rare  and  ardent  minds:  distress  and 
intelligence  are  two  extremes,  dangerous  when  they  meet. 

"In  the  wine  shops,  people  were  grave  and  gloomy;  there 
they  publicly  discussed  the  question  of  fighting  or  keeping 
quiet.  The  government  was  there  purely  and  simply  called 
in  question. 

"The  government  one  day  received  a  warning  that  arms 
and  two  hundred  thousand  cartridges  had  just  been  distribu- 
ted in  the  faubourgh.  On  the  following  week  thirty  thousand 
cartridges  were  distributed.  The  remarkable  point  about  it 
was  that  the  police  were  not  able  to  seize  a  single  one.  An 
intercepted  letter  read: 


RUMORS  AND  TUMULTS  139 

"  'The  day  is  not  far  distant  when,  within  four  hours  by 
the  clock,  eighty  thousand  patriots  will  be  under  arms.*  " 

The  various  groups  of  societies  for  liberty  of  the  press, 
individual  liberty,  instruction  of  the  people,  etc.,  all  affiliated 
now  were  about  to  plunge  into  a  frightful  adventure. 

On  the  evening  of  the  fourth  of  June  and  the  morning  of 
the  fifth,  the  Faubourgh  Saint  Antoine  assumed  a  formidable 
aspect,  the  net  work  of  streets  were  filled  with  people;  they 
armed  themselves  as  best  they  might. 

There  was  a  funeral.  A  man  of  action  and  renown  in  the 
interest  of  liberty  had  died :  an  event  like  the  spark  that  dis- 
charges the  artillery. 

Moreover  the  revolutionary  fever  was  growing.  Not  a 
point  in  Paris,  nor  in  France  was  exempt  from  it.  The 
artery  was  beating  everjrwhere.  -^ 

On  the  fifth  of  June,  a  day  of  rain  and  sun,  the  funeral 
procession  traversed  Paris  with  official  pomp.  Somewhat 
augmented  through  precaution. 

**Two  battalions  with  draped  drums  and  reversed  arms,  ten 
thousand  National  Guards,  with  their  swords  at  their  sides, 
escorted  the  coffin.  The  hearse  was  drawn  by  young  men. 
The  officers  came  immediately  behind  it  bearing  laurel 
branches.  Then  came  an  innumerable  strangely  agitated 
multitude.  The  sectionaries  of  the  friends  of  the  people,  the 
law  school,  the  medical  school,  refugees  of  all  nationalities, 
and  Spanish,  Italian,  German  and  Polish  flags,  tricolored, 
horizontal  banners,  every  possible  sort  of  banners.  Children 
waving  green  boughs,  stone  cutters  and  carpenters  who  were 
on  the  strike  at  the  moment;  printers  who  were  recognized 
by  their  paper  caps,  marching  two  by  two,  three  by  three, 


140  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

uttering  cries;  nearly  all  of  them  brandishing  sticks,  some 
brandishing  sabers ;  without  order  and  yet  with  a  single  soul ; 
now  a  tumultuous  rout,  again  a  single  column.  Squads  chose 
themselves  leaders ;  a  man  armed  with  a  pair  of  pistols  in  full 
view,  seemed  to  pass  the  host  in  review  and  the  files  separated 
before  him. 

On  the  side  alleys  of  the  boulevards,  in  the  branches  of  the 
trees,  on  balconies,  in  windows,  on  roofs,  swarmed  the  heads 
of  men,  women  and  children,  all  eyes  filled  with  anxiety. 

An  armed  host  was  passing,  and  a  terrified  throng  was 
looking  on. 

"The  government  in  its  side  was  taking  observation.  It 
observed  with  its  hand  on  the  sword.  Four  squadrons  of 
carbineers  could  be  seen  in  the  Place  Louis  XV,  in  their  sad- 
dles with  cartridge  boxes  filled  and  muskets  loaded,  all  in 
readiness  to  march.  In  the  Latin  country  and  at  the  Jardin 
des  Plantes,  the  municipal  guard  echelonued  from  street  to 
street.  At  the  Halle- Aux-Vins,  a  squadron  of  dragoons;  at 
the  Greve,  half  twelfth  light  infantry,  the  other  half  being  at 
the  Bastile,  the  sixth  dragoons  at  the  Celestins  and  the  court 
yard  of  the  Louvre  full  of  artillery.  The  remainder  of  the 
troops  were  confined  to  their  barracks,  without  reckoning  the 
regiments  of  the  environs  of  Paris. 

"Power  being  uneasy,  held  suspended  over  the  menacing 
multitude,  twenty-four  thousand  soldiers  in  the  city  and 
thirty  thousand  in  the  banlieue. 

The  procession  proceeded  with  feverish  slowness  from  the 
house  of  the  deceased  by  way  of  the  boulevards  as  far  as  the 
Bastile.  It  rained  from  time  to  time ;  the  rain  mattered  noth- 
ing to  the  throng.     Many  incidents,  the  coffin  borne  roimd 


RUMORS  AND  TUMULTS  141 

Vendome  Column,  stones  thrown  at  the  Due  de  Fitz-James 
who  was  seen  on  a  balcony  with  his  hat  on  his  head,  the 
Gallic  cock  torn  from  a  popular  flag  and  dragged  in  the  mire, 
a  policeman  wounded  with  a  blow  from  a  sword,  the  Poly- 
technic school  coming  up  unexpectedly  against  orders  to  re- 
main at  home,  the  shouts  of  "Long  live  the  Polytechnic," 
"Long  live  the  Republic,"  marked  the  funeral  train. 

Jehan  was  not  intending  to  go  to  the  funeral.  With  a 
constant  sob  in  his  heart,  he  had  continued  to  wear  a  smile 
on  his  face  which  did  not  prevent  pallor  from  taking  the  place 
of  the  bloom  of  health.  His  father  had  noticed  this  pallor 
and  suspected  that  there  had  been  some  interruption  in  his 
love  affair,  and  divined  the  cause  of  it,  but  said  nothing  until 
that  day,  the  day  of  the  funeral.  He  was  greatly  agitated 
because  of  the  impending  conflict. 

He  said,  "My  son,  the  people  do  not  want  your  republic, 
they  know  well  that  there  has  always  been  kings  and  that 
there  will  always  be  kings." 

Jehan  replied,  "Kings  engender  parasites  and  paupers. 
Parasites  above,  paupers  below;  as  long  as  there  are  kings, 
there  will  be  prostitution  of  women  and  endless  night  for  the 
child." 

Monsieur  Lenormand  exclaimed,  "Do  you  think  that  that 
rabble  can  change  the  face  of  the  universe  into  paradise? 
Psst !  you  young  men  are  a  pack  of  fools,  you  go  and  join  the 
republicans  and  you  deliberate,  I  will  tell  you  who  they  are, 
they  are  barbarians,  released  galley  slaves  and  returned  con- 
victs.    That's  what  they  are, — idiot." 

Jehan  replied,  "The  revolution  put  an  end  to  torture, — 
barbarians,  you  say, — very  well,  as  for  me,  I  prefer  the  bar- 


142  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

barians  of  civilization  to  the  barbarism  of  civilized  men," 
and  he  went  out. 

But  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  Jehan  was  so  completely 
detached  from  self  interest  that  his  father's  words  had  no 
effect;  he  thought, — yes  it  is  true,  I  have  lost  my  love  and 
besides  what  can  we  hope  to  accomplish,  I  have  seen  enough 
of  this. 

He  wandered  about  the  streets  like  a  dreamer  in  despair^ 
All  at  once  he  was  aroused  by  the  roar  of  tumult  in  the  city. 
Going  on  he  saw  a  man  with  bare  arms  carrying  a  black  flag 
on  which  could  be  read  in  white  letters,  "Republic  or 
Death."  He  sat  down  on  a  bench  and  began  to  weep.  That 
was  horrible.  With  bowed  head  he  meditated  thus,  "Shall 
I  forsake  my  friends  now  in  the  time  when  they  need  me?" 
He  thought  of  "America,"  and  a  certain  rectification  took 
possession  of  his  mind.  He  lifted  his  head  and  saw  the 
funeral  procession.  Soon  a  familiar  voice,  "Hohee."  Jehan, 
come  with  us.  It  was  Charles  at  the  head  of  the  band  of 
students.    Jehan  joined  the  procession. 

Monsieur  Lenormand,  deeply  anxious  for  his  son's  safety, 
called  his  servant  James  and  sent  him  to  follow  Jehan  to  see 
what  would  become  of  him. 

A  little  while  before  this  event,  Madame  Cammille,  after 
a  severe  illness,  died,  Evadne  had  been  released  from  her  im- 
prisonment because  of  her  mother's  illness.  After  the  funeral 
and  the  time  of  mourning,  Evadne  disguised  herself  in  male 
attire  in  order  to  escape  further  imprisonment. 

On  the  fifth  of  June,  the  cry  "To  Arms"  and  the  incessant 
ringing  of  the  tocsin  of  Saint  Merry,  filled  her  with  alarm. 
She  feared  that  Jehan  would  be  killed.     She  called  Philip, 


RUMORS  AND  TUMULTS  143 

her  servant,  and  sent  him  to  make  inquiry  concerning  Jehan. 
He  arrived  at  the  gate  of  Monsieur  Lenormand  just  as 
James  was  going  out.    Philip  and  James  went  on  together. 

"At  the  Bastile  long  files  of  curious  and  formidable  people 
who  descended  the  faubourgh  Saint  Antoine,  effected  a  junc- 
tion with  the  procession,  and  a  certain  terrible  seething  began 
to  agitate  the  throng. 

"One  man  was  heard  to  say  to  another,  'do  you  see  that 
fellow  over  there,  he's  the  one  who  will  give  the  word  when 
we  are  to  fire. 

"The  hearse  passed  the  Bastile,  traversed  the  small  bridge, 
and  reached  the  esplanade  of  the  bridge  of  Austerlitz,  there 
it  halted.  A  circle  was  traced  around  the  hearse.  The  vast 
rout  held  their  peace.  Lafayette  spoke  and  bade  General 
Lamarque  farewell. 

"This  was  a  touching  and  august  instant.  All  heads  un- 
covered, all  hearts  beat  high. 

"All  at  once  a  man  on  horseback  clad  in  black  made  his 
appearance  in  the  middle  of  the  group  with  a  red  flag.  The 
red  flag  raised  a  storm  and  disappeared  in  the  midst  of  it. 
Clamors  which  resemble  billows  stirred  the  multitude. 

"In  the  meantime  the  municipal  cavalry  on  the  left  bank 
had  been  set  in  motion,  and  came  to  bar  the  bridge  on  the 
right  bank,  the  dragoons  emerged  from  the  Celestine  and  de- 
ployed along  the  Quai  Morland.  Men  shouted,  "The  dra- 
goons." 

"The  dragoons  advanced  at  a  walk,  in  silence,  with  their 
pistols  in  their  holsters,  their  swords  in  their  scabbards,  their 
guns  slung  in  their  leather  sockets,  with  an  air  of  gloomy 
expectation. 


144  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

"They  halted  two  hundred  paces  from  the  little  bridge. 
At  that  moment  the  crowd  and  the  dragoons  touched.  The 
women  fled  in  terror.  What  took  place  at  that  fatal  moment 
no  one  can  tell.  The  fact  is,  three  shots  were  fired,  the  first 
killed  the  chief  of  the  squadron,  the  second  killed  an  old  deaf 
woman,  and  the  third  singed  the  shoulder  of  an  officer.  All 
at  once  a  squadron  of  dragoons  was  seen  to  debouch  at  a 
gallop  with  bared  swords,  through  the  Rue  Bouviers,  and 
the  Boulevard  Bourdon,  sweeping  all  before  them. 

A  FRIGHTFUL  ADVENTURE 

"Then  all  is  said,  the  tempest  is  loosed,  stones  rain  down, 
a  fusillade  breaks  forth,  many  precipitate  themselves  to  the 
bottom  of  the  bank  and  pass  the  small  arm  of  the  Seine,  now 
filled  in,  the  timber  yard  of  the  Isle  Louviers,  that  vast  cita- 
del ready  in  hand  bustles  with  combatants,  stakes  are  torn  up, 
pistol  shots  are  fired,  a  barricade  begun ;  the  municipal  guard, 
the  carbineers,  rush  up,  the  dragoons  ply  their  swords,  the 
crowd  disperses  in  all  directions,  a  rumor  of  war  flies  to  all 
parts  of  Paris,  men  shout,  "To  Arms,"  they  tumble  down, 
flee,  resist.  Wrath  spreads  abroad  the  riot  as  wind  spreads 
the  fire. 

"And  then,  on  the  right  bank,  and  the  left  bank,  on  the 
quays,  on  the  boulevards,  in  the  Latin  country,  in  the  quarter 
of  the  Halles,  panting  men,  artisans,  students,  members  of 
sections,  read  proclamations  and  shouted:  'To  Arms,'  broke 
street  lanterns,  unharnessed  carriages,  unpaved  the  streets, 
broke  in  the  doors  of  houses,  uprooted  trees,  rummaged  cel- 
lars, rolled  out  hogsheads,  heaped  up  paving  stones,  rough 
slabs,  furniture  and  planks,  and  made  barricades. 


RUMORS  AND  TUMULTS  145 

"In  less  than  an  hour,  twenty-seven  barricades  sprang  out 
of  the  earth  in  the  quarter  of  Halles  alone,  without  reckon- 
ing the  innumerable  barricades  in  twenty  other  quarters  of 
Paris. 

"At  five  o'clock  in  the  evening,  a  third  of  Paris  was  in  the 
hands  of  the  rioters.  The  conflict  had  been  begun  on  a  gi- 
gantic scale  at  all  points,  and,  as  the  result  of  the  disarming, 
domiciliary  visits,  and  armorers'  shops  hastily  invaded,  was, 
that  the  combat  which  had  begun  with  the  throwing  of  stones 
was  continued  with  gunshots. 

"About  six  o'clock  in  the  evening  the  Passage  du  Samuau 
became  the  field  of  battle.  The  uprising  was  at  one  end,  the 
troops  were  at  the  other.  They  fired  from  one  gate  to  the 
other. 

"Meanwhile  the  call  to  arms  was  beaten,  the  National 
Guard  armed  in  haste,  the  legions  emerged  from  the  mayor- 
alities,  the  regiments  from  their  barracks.  Opposite  the  pas- 
sage a  drummer  boy  received  a  blow  from  a  dagger,  another 
was  assailed  in  the  Rue  by  thirty  young  men  who  broke  his 
instrument  and  took  away  his  sword,  another  was  killed. 
In  the  Rue  three  officers  fell  dead  one  after  another,  many 
of  the  municipal  guards  being  wounded,  retreated. 

"In  front  of  the  Cour-Batave  a  detachment  of  the  Nation- 
al Guard  found  a  red  flag  bearing  this  inscription:  'Repub- 
lican Revolution  No.  127.'     Was  this  a  revolution  in  fact? 

"The  insurrection  had  made  of  the  center  of  Paris  a  sort 
of  inextricable  tortuous  citadel.  The  proof  that  all  would  be 
decided  there  lay  in  the  fact  that  no  fighting  was  going  on 
there  as  yet. 

"In  some  regiments  the  soldiers  were  uncertain,  which  ad- 


146  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

ded  to  the  fearful  uncertainty  of  the  crisis.  Two  intrepid 
men,  tried  in  great  wars,  the  Marshal  Labou  and  General 
Bugeaued,  were  in  command  Bugeaued  under  Labau.  Enor- 
mous patrols  composed  of  battalions  of  the  line,  enclosed 
in  entire  companies  of  the  National  Guard,  and  preceded  by 
a  commissary  of  police  wearing  his  scarf  of  office,  went  to 
reconnoitre  the  streets  in  rebellion.  The  insurrection,  on 
their  side,  placed  videttes  at  the  corners  of  all  open  spaces, 
and  audaciously  sent  their  patrols  outside  the  barricades. 
Each  side  was  watching  the  other  side.  The  government 
with  an  army  in  its  hand,  hesitated.  The  night  was  almost 
upon  them,  and  the  Saint  Merry  tocsin  began  to  make  itself 
heard.    The  minister  of  war  regarded  this  with  a  gloomy  air. 

"These  old  sailors  were  utterly  disconcerted  in  the  pres- 
ence of  that  immense  foam  called  public  wrath. 

"The  National  Guards  of  the  suburbs  rushed  up  in  haste 
and  disorder,  a  battalion  of  the  twelfth  light  came  at  a  run 
from  Saint  Denis,  the  fourteenth  of  the  Line  arrived  from 
Courbevoie,  the  batteries  of  the  Military  School  had  taken 
up  their  position  on  the  Corrousel;  cannons  were  descending 
from  Vincennes. 

"Solitude  was  around  the  Tuileries.  Louis  Philippe  was 
perfectly  serene. 

"Evening  came,  the  theatres  did  not  open;  the  patrols  cir- 
culated with  an  air  of  irritation;  passers-by  were  searched; 
suspicious  persons  were  arrested.  By  nine  o'clock  more  than 
eight  hundred  persons  had  been  arrested ;  the  prefecture  of 
police  was  encumbered  with  them,  so  was  La  Force.  Else- 
where prisoners  slept  in  the  open  air,  in  meadows,  piled  on 
top  of  each  other. 


RUMORS  AND  TUMULTS  147 

"Anxiety  reigned  everywhere. 

"People  barricaded  themselves  in  their  houses;  wives  and 
mothers  were  uneasy;  nothing  was  heard  but  this,  *Ah,  my 
God,  he  has  not  come  home/  There  was  hardly  even  the 
rumble  of  a  distant  vehicle  to  be  heard.  People  listened  on 
their  thresholds,  to  the  rumors,  the  shouts,  the  tumults,  to 
the  trumpet,  the  drum,  the  firing  and  above  all  to  the  lamen- 
table alarm  peal  of  Saint  Merry. 

"The  band  led  by  Charles  had  flung  themselves  into  the 
Rue  de  la  Hanverie.  Terror  seized  on  the  street  at  the  in- 
terruption of  the  mob.  Like  the  flash  of  lightning  all  shops, 
stables,  doors,  windows  and  shutters  were  closed  from  ground 
floor  to  roof.  One  building,  a  cafe,  alone  remained  open, 
and  that  for  the  reason  that  the  mob  had  rushed  it  and  took 
possession  of  it.  In  front  of  this  building  a  barricade  was 
built  in  less  than  an  hour  without  hindrance.  In  the  rear 
was  an  island  of  houses  with  many  narrow  angled  lanes  and 
crannies  between.  An  attack  was  not  possible  from  that  side ; 
all  other  sides  were  closed  by  the  barricade,  it  was  nearly 
impregnable. 

In  the  kitchen  they  moulded  into  bullets,  pewter  mugs, 
spoons,  forks  and  all  the  brass  table  ware  of  the  establish- 
ment. On  the  tables  were  mixed  pell  mell  caps  and  buck- 
shot, and  glasses  of  wine.  Women  tore  dish  towels  and  made 
lint. 

"When  the  barricade  was  finished,  a  table  was  brought 
out.  Charles  mounted  on  the  table  and  distributed  cartridges. 
They  loaded  the  guns  and  carbines  with  solemn  gravity. 

"Then,  the  posts  having  been  assigned,  the  sentinels  sta- 


148  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

tioned,  they  waited  alone,  enveloped  in  the  deepening  shades 
of  twilight,  in  the  midst  of  silence  through  which  something 
could  be  felt  advancing  and  which  had  about  it  something 
terrifying. 


149 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

PASSING   GLEAMS 

The  insurgents  were  full  of  hope.  The  manner  in  which 
they  had  repulsed  the  first  attack  caused  them  to  await  the 
second  almost  with  disdain.  They  waited  for  it  with  a 
smile.  They  had  no  more  doubt  as  to  their  success  than  as 
to  their  cause.  Moreover,  succor  was  evidently  on  the  way 
to  them.    They  reckoned  on  it. 

Charles  had  been  out  reconnitering  and  had  returned;  he 
stood  with  folded  arms  listening  to  all  this  joy  and  enthus- 
iasm.   He  shook  his  head  and  said : 

"In  one  hour  you  will  be  attacked.  A  third  of  the  army 
of  Paris  is  bearing  down  upon  the  barricade  in  which  you 
now  are;  there  is  the  National  Guard  in  addition.  So  far 
everything  has  miscarried :  only  four  barricades  sustained  the 
first  attack,  this  one  and  three  others.  As  for  the  populace 
it  was  seething,  now  it  is  not  stirring.  There  is  nothing  to 
expect,  nothing  to  hope  for,  neither  from  a  faubourgh  nor 
from  a  regiment.    You  are  abandoned." 

These  words  effected  an  undescribable  silence.  Then  a 
white  haired  man  arose  and  exclaimed,  "So  be  it;  let  us  re- 
main in  the  barricade  and  let  us  offer  the  protest  of  dead 
corpses;  let  us  show  that  if  the  people  abandon  the  republi- 
cans, the  republicans  do  not  abandon  the  people." 

The  speaker  was  one  of  those  illustrious  Frenchmen  who 


I50  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

had  spent  the  best  years  of  his  life  fighting  side  by  side  with 
the  Americans  in  their  struggle  for  Independence. 

These  words  proceeded  from  the  honesty  of  a  great  heart 
condensed  in  justice  and  truth.  The  effect  freed  the  thought 
of  all  from  the  painful  cloud  of  individual  anxieties;  it  was 
hailed  with  an  enthusiastic  acclamation. 

The  situation  of  Jehan  in  that  fatal  hour  and  pitiless  place, 
had  as  a  result  a  culminating  point  in  the  supreme  sadness  of 
his  lost  love.  All  at  once  he  mounted  a  stone  post ;  he  threw 
back  his  head,  his  abundant  dark  locks  fell  back  like  the  mane 
of  a  startled  lion  in  the  flaming  of  a  halo ;  a  sort  of  stifled  fire 
darted  from  his  eyes  which  were  filled  with  an  inward  look. 

Jehan  cried,  "Citizens,  we  are  on  the  field  of  battle;  the 
street  is  the  field ;  we  are  engaged  in  civil  war.  It  is  a  com- 
bat of  darkness  between  Frenchmen.  The  question  is  no 
longer  that  of  sacred  territory,  but  of  a  holy  idea ;  it  is  that  of 
sacred  duty.  You  say,  'Down  with  the  tyrant.*  Of  whom 
are  you  speaking?  do  you  call  'Louis  Philippe'  a  tyrant?  No 
more  than  Louis  XVI.  Both  of  them  are  what  history  is  in 
the  habit  of  calling  good  kings.  But  both  represent  in  a 
certain  measure  the  confiscation  of  right ;  so-called  the  divine 
right  of  kings.  Kings  create  a  false  and  dangerous  situation. 
This  leads  to  two  extremes,  monstrous  opulence  and  mon- 
strous wretchedness.  A  situation  which  sates  public  power 
on  private  misery,  which  sets  the  roots  of  the  State  in  the  suf- 
ferings of  the  individual,  a  badly  constituted  grandeur  in 
which  are  combined  all  the  national  elements  and  in  which 
the  moral  sense  does  not  enter. 

"Monarchy  is  a  foreigner;  it  is  despotism  violating  the 
moral  frontier.    An  enormous  fortress  of  prejudices,  privil- 


PASSING  GLEAMS  151 

eges,  suppressions,  lies,  exactions,  abuses,  violences,  iniquities 
and  darkness  stands  erect  in  this  world  with  its  towers  of 
hatred.  It  must  be  cast  down ;  this  monstrous  mass  must  be 
made  to  crumble.     Is  there  just  and  unjust  war? 

*'War  is  iniquitous  when  engaged  in  assassinating  the  right, 
reason,  truth;  what  cause  is  more  just,  consequently  what  war 
greater  than  that  which  re-establishes  social  truth,  restores 
her  throne  to  liberty,  restores  the  people  to  the  people,  re- 
stores sovereignty  to  man  and  places  the  human  race  once 
more  on  the  level  with  right.  Citizens,  onward  and  courage, 
we  are  about  to  die;  that  is  to  say,  triumph  here. 

"Whatever  happens  today  through  our  defeat  as  well  as 
through  our  victory,  it  is  a  revolution  that  we  are  about  to 
create,  which  will  illumine  the  whole  human  race.  The 
revolution  which  we  shall  cause  is  the  revolution  of  the  true. 
From  a  political  point  of  view,  there  is  but  a  single  principle, 
the  sovereignty  of  man  over  himself.  The  sovereignty  of 
myself  is  liberty.  Where  two  or  three  of  these  sovereignties 
are  combined  the  State  begins,  but  in  that  association  there  is 
no  abdication.  Each  sovereignty  concedes  a  certain  quantity 
of  itself  for  the  purpose  of  forming  the  common  right;  this 
quantity  is  the  same  for  all  of  us.  This  identity  of  concession 
which  each  makes  to  all  is  called  equality.  Common  right  is 
nothing  else  than  the  protection  of  all  beaming  on  the  right  of 
each.  This  protection  of  all  over  each  is  called  fraternity. 
The  liberty  of  each  ends  only  where  another's  begins.  Such 
is  the  beginning  of  an  ideal  civil  government,  and  when  it 
shall  multiply  to  countless  millions,  the  principle  remains 
the  same. 

The  government  remains  absolutely  impersonal;  all  the 


152  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

power  there  is  of  it,  is  derived  from  the  consent  of  the  gov- 
erned; in  it  there  is  no  paternalism;  each  individual  is  re- 
garded as  possessing  certain  rights;  and  that  being  men  in- 
deed, are  perfectly  capable  of  deciding  for  themselves  w^hat  is 
best  for  their  happiness  and  the  way  in  which  to  pursue  it, 
and  not  to  be  dealt  with  as  with  children. 

"Among  the  rights  bestowed  upon  man  as  an  endowment 
of  his  existence  direct  from  the  Lord  and  Creator  of  us  all, 
are  Life,  Liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness.  Being  thus 
bestowed  they  are  inalienable;  in  that  fact  abdication  is  im- 
possible. 

"Citizens,  let  us  come  to  an  understanding  about  equality ; 
for  if  liberty  is  the  summit,  equality  is  the  base.  Equality, 
citizens,  is  not  a  surface  vegetation,  a  society  of  great  blades 
of  grass  and  tiny  oaks;  a  proximity  of  jealousies  which  render 
each  other  null  and  void ;  legally  speaking,  it  is  all  aptitudes 
possessed  of  the  same  opportunity;  politically,  it  is  all  votes 
possessed  of  the  same  weight,  equally  it  is  all  consciences 
possessed  of  the  same  right. 

"The  solution  of  everything  by  universal  suffrage  is  abso- 
lutely a  modern  fact ;  but  it  is  not  new ;  it  is  a  God-given  prin- 
ciple which  has  been  understood  by  thinkers  in  all  ages. 

"Citizens,  do  you  picture  to  yourselves  the  future;  the 
streets  of  cities  inundated  with  light,  green  branches  shading 
the  door-ways,  old  men  blessing  little  children,  thinkers  en- 
tirely at  liberty,  believers  on  terms  of  full  equality,  for  reli- 
gion, heaven ;  God  the  direct  prest,  human  conscience  become 
the  altar,  no  more  hatreds,  the  fraternity  of  the  workshop 
and  the  school,  peace  over  all ;  no  more  blood-shed,  no  more 
wars,  happy  mothers.    Then  there  will  be  nothing  more  like 


PASSING  GLEAMS  153 

the  history  of  old,  we  shall  no  longer  as  today,  have  to  fear 
a  conquest,  an  invasion,  a  usurpation,  a  rivalry  of  nations, 
an  interruption  of  civili2:ation  depending  on  the  marriage  oi 
kings,  on  a  birth  in  hereditary  tyrannies.  A  combat  of  two 
religions  meeting  face  to  face  in  the  dark  like  two  stags  on 
the  bridge  of  eternity.  We  shall  no  longer  have  to  fear 
famine,  prostitution  arising  from  distress,  misery  from  the 
failure  of  work,  and  the  scaffold  and  the  sword.  Now  the 
law  of  progress  is  that  monsters  shall  disappear  before  the 
angels,  and  that  fatality  shall  vanish  before  fraternity. 

"Friends,  the  hour  in  which  I  am  addressing  you  is  a 
gloomy  hour.  It  is  a  bad  time  to  pronounce  the  word  love; 
no  matter,  I  do  pronounce  it,  and  I  glorify  it.  Love,  the 
future  is  thine.  Citizens,  in  the  future  there  will  be  neither 
darkness  nor  thunderbolts,  neither  ferocious  ignorance  nor 
bloody  retaliation.  As  there  will  be  no  more  Satan  there 
will  be  no  more  war.  Oh,  the  human  race  will  accomplish 
its  law,  be  delivered,  raised  up,  and  consoled :  we  affirm  it  on 
this  barricade.  Whence  shall  proceed  that  cry,  love,  if  not 
from  the  heights  of  sacrifice?  Oh,  my  brothers,  this  is  the 
point  of  junction  of  those  who  think  and  of  those  who  suffer ; 
this  barricade  is  not  made  of  stones,  or  of  timber  and  bits  of 
iron ;  it  is  made  of  a  heap  of  ideas  and  a  heap  of  woes.  Here 
misery  meets  ideal.  From  the  embrace  of  all  desolations 
faith  leaps  forth.  In  the  future  no  one  will  kill  anyone  else, 
the  earth  will  beam  with  radiance,  the  human  race  will  love. 
The  day  will  come,  citizens,  when  all  will  be  concord,  har- 
mony, light,  joy  and  life ;  it  will  come,  and  it  is  in  order  that 
it  may  come  that  we  are  about  to  die.  Brothers,  he  who  dies 


154  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

here,  dies  in  the  glory  of  the  future,  and  we  are  entering  a 
tomb  all  flooded  with  the  radiance  of  dawn." 

Jehan  paused.  All  gazed  at  him  intently,  desiring  to  hear 
more. 

This  is  the  way  they  reasoned;  those  young  men  in  the 
bloom  of  health  and  youth.  Heroes  of  the  French  Revolu- 
tion. 

Suddenly  in  the  midst  of  the  dismal  calm,  a  mysterious 
movement  was  heard  at  a  certain  distance.  It  was  evident  that 
the  critical  moment  was  approaching ;  several  moments  passed, 
then  a  sound  of  footsteps,  measured,  heavy,  numerous,  ap- 
proached with  a  terrible  continuity. 

Each  man  took  his  position  for  the  conflict. 

They  knelt  inside  the  barricade  with  their  heads  on  a  level 
with  the  crest  of  the  barricade,  the  barrels  of  their  guns 
and  carbines  aimed  on  the  stones,  attentive,  mute,  ready  to 
fire.  Some  installed  themselves  at  the  windows  of  the  build- 
ing with  their  guns  leveled  at  their  shoulders. 

In  this  attack  a  cannon  was  approaching.  They  could  sec 
the  smoke  of  the  burning  lint  stock. 

The  footsteps  were  that  of  a  throng  approaching.  This 
tread  drew  nearer,  still  nearer  and  stopped. 

It  was  night,  they  could  not  be  seen,  but  in  that  dense  ob- 
scurity a  multitude  of  metallic  threads  could  be  distinguished. 
These  were  bayonets  and  gun  barrels,  confusedly  illumined 
by  the  distant  reflection  of  a  torch. 

A  pause  ensued  as  though  both  sides  were  waiting.  All  at 
once  from  the  depths  of  the  darkness,  a  voice  shouted, — 

"Who  goes  there?" 


PASSING  GLEAMS  i55 

At  the  same  time  the  click  of  guns  as  they  were  lowered 
into  position  was  heard. 

Charles  replied  in  tones  of  great  dignity, — 

"The  French  Revolution." 

"Lay  down  your  arms,"  commanded  the  officer. 

"Long  live  the  Republic,"  shouted  the  insurgents. 

"Fire!"  shouted  the  voice. 

A  flash  empurpled  all  the  facades  in  the  street  as  though 
the  door  of  a  furnace  had  been  flung  open.  The  attack  was 
a  hurricane,  the  cannon  began  to  roar;  the  army  hurled  it- 
self on  the  barricade  with  beating  drums,  trumpets  braying, 
bayonets  leveled,  the  sappers  at  their  head,  and  imperturbable 
under  the  projectiles,  charged  straight  for  the  barricade  with 
the  weight  of  a  brazen  beam  against  the  wall. 

The  wall  held  firm. 

The  insurgents  fired  impetuously. 

James  had  entered  the  barricade  disguised  as  an  unknown 
recruit ;  he  cared  for  the  wounded  and  at  the  same  time  kept 
his  eye  on  Jehan. 

Philip  had  returned  to  tell  Evadne  that  Jehan  was  in  a 
barricade,  engaged  in  civil  war. 

"Oh,"  cried  Evadne,  "he  will  be  killed.  Order  the  car- 
riage at  once  and  take  me  to  the  barricade." 

Evadne  was  in  male  attire. 

The  barricade  in  which  Jehan  was,  was  at  the  extreme 
edge  of  the  invested  quarter.  They  found  their  way  to  it 
from  the  side  not  invaded,  through  those  narrow,  many 
angled  lanes.  The  carriage  was  left  at  a  distance,  not  far 
away.    There  at  the  corner  of  the  building  in  a  curtain  of 


156  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

shadow  they  could  see  inside  the  barricade  without  being  seen. 

At  the  extremity  of  the  barricade,  not  far  from  the  point 
where  Evadne  and  Phillip  stood,  Jehan  fought  unprotected. 
He  stood  with  about  half  his  body  above  the  breastworks. 
He  seemed  like  a  phantom  engaged  in  firing  a  gun. 

A  soldier  was  taking  aim  at  Jehan.  Evadne  saw  this, 
darted  forward  with  the  swiftness  of  lightning,  laid  hold  of 
the  arm  of  the  soldier,  and  disappeared  in  the  shade.  The  shot 
sped,  grazed  Jehan's  shoulder.  He  fell  to  the  ground,  he 
had  received  many  wounds. 

With  the  agility  of  a  tiger,  James  sprang  forward,  seized 
Jehan  and  bore  him  oflF. 

All  this  happened  in  the  thick  cloud  of  combat.  No  one  saw 
the  act  of  Evadne.     The  act  of  James  was  not  noticed. 

Jehan  was  taken  to  his  home.  There  his  father  had  passed 
the  last  twelve  hours  in  despair.  Jehan  was  unconscious  and 
seemed  to  be  dead.  Monsieur  Lenormand  was  now  beside 
himself  with  grief.  He  went  suddenly  into  his  room.  Did 
he  have  some  sinister  intention?  His  sister,  Maria,  a  widow 
who  had  for  years  kept  house  for  him,  feared.  She  looked  in, 
cautiously.  He  was  on  his  knees  praying.  Up  to  that  time 
he  had  believed  but  little  in  God. 

Jehan  recovered.  Monsieur  Lenormand  told  his  son  that 
it  was  Evadne  who  had  flung  herself  into  the  battle  and 
saved  his  life  by  turning  aside  the  aim  of  the  soldier.  This 
news  had  the  effect  of  "the  joy  of  life  after  the  agony  of 
death." 

Jehan  and  Evadne  beheld  each  other  once  more. 


157 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

A  FRIEND 

The  French  revolution  had  many  friends  throughout  the 
world.  There  were  some  whose  names  are  famous  in  the 
annals  of  history;  of  one  we  will  make  mention — Beethoven. 
We  do  this  by  request  of  Miss  Hazel  Loviner,  one  of  the 
gifted  young  musicians  of  Los  Angeles. 

Believing  that  it  will  be  helpful  to  the  lover  of  Liberty 
who  may  chance  to  read  this  narrative,  we  quote  from  the 
following  work: 

BEETHOVEN 

A   CHARACTER   STUDY 

BY 

GEORGE   ALEXANDER   FISCHER 

If  Bach  is  the  mathematician  of  music,  as  has  been  asserted, 
Beethoven  is  its  philosopher.  In  his  work  the  philosophic 
comes  to  the  fore.  To  the  genius  of  the  musician  is  added 
in  Beethoven  a  wide  mental  grasp,  an  altruistic  spirit,  that 
seeks  to  help  humanity  on  the  upward  path ;  he  addresses  the 
intellect  in  mankind. 

Up  to  Beethoven's  time,  musicians  in  general  (Bach  is  al- 
ways an  exception),  performed  their  work  without  the  aid 


158  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

of  the  intellect,  for  the  most  part,  they  worked  by  intuition. 
In  everything  outside  their  art  they  were  like  children.  Beet- 
hoven was  the  first  one  having  independence  to  think  for  him- 
self, the  first  to  have  ideas  on  subjects  unconnected  with  his 
art.  He  it  was  who  established  the  dignity  of  the  artist  over 
that  of  the  simply  well  born.  His  entire  life  was  a  protest 
against  the  pretentions  of  birth  over  mind.  His  predecessors, 
to  a  great  extent,  subjected  by  their  social  superiors,  sought 
only  to  please.  Nothing  farther  was  expected  of  them.  This 
mental  attitude  is  apparent  in  their  work.  The  language  of 
the  courtier  is  usually  polished,  but  without  the  virility  that 
characterizes  the  speech  of  the  free  man. 

Stirring  times  they  were  in  whic^  he  first  saw  the  light, 
and  so  indeed  continued  in  ever  increasing  intensity,  like  a 
good  drama  until  nearly  the  end.  The  American  Revolution 
became  an  accomplished  fact  during  his  boyhood.  Nearer 
home,  events  were  fast  coming  to  a  focus,  which  culminated 
in  the  French  Revolution.  The  magic  words  Liberty,  Equal- 
ity, Fraternity  and  the  ideas  for  which  they  stood  were  every- 
where in  the  minds  of  the  people.  The  age  called  for  en- 
lightenment, spiritual  growth. 

On  reaching  manhood  he  found  a  world  in  transition;  he 
realized  that  he  was  on  the  threshold  of  a  new  order  of 
things,  and  with  ready  prescience  took  advantage  of  such  as 
could  be  utilized  in  his  art. 

In  Beethoven's  time  and  long  before  the  aristocracy  led 
lives  of  easy,  complacent  enjoyment,  dabbling  in  art,  patron- 
izing music — music  and  the  composers,  seemingly  with  no 
prevision  that  the  musicians  whom  they  attached  to  their 
train,  and  who  in  the  cases  of  Mozart  and  Haydn,  were 


A  FRIEND  159 

treated  but  little  better  than  lackeys,  were  destined  by  the 
irony  of  fate  to  occupy  places  in  the  temple  of  fame,  which 
would  be  denied  themselves. 

Beethoven,  original,  independent,  iconoclastic,  acknowl- 
edged no  superior,  without  having  yet  achieved  anything  to 
demonstrate  his  superiority.  Haydn  tied  down  to  established 
forms,  subservient,  meek,  was  only  happy  when  sure  of  the 
approbation  of  his  superiors. 

The  third  Symphony  calls  for  more  than  passing  notice. 
Beethoven's  altruism  is  well  known.  The  brotherhood  of 
man  was  a  favorite  theme  with  him.  By  the  aid  of  his  mighty 
intellect  and  his  intuitional  powers  he  saw  more  clearly  than 
others  the  world's  great  need.  The  inequalities  in  social  con- 
ditions were  more  clearly  marked  in  those  times  than  now. 
The  French  Revolution  had  set  people  thinking.  Liberty 
and  equality  was  what  they  were  demanding. 

Beethoven  did  not  approve  of  war;  he  expressed  himself 
plainly  on  this  point,  in  after  years,  but  at  this  period,  con- 
sidered it  justifiable  and  necessary  as  a  means  of  abolishing 
what  remained  of  feudal  authority. 

Beethoven  regarded  Napoleon  as  a  liberator,  as  a  savior,  on 
his  success  in  restoring  order  out  of  chaos  in  France.  It 
showed  considerable  moral  courage  on  his  part  to  come  out 
so  plainly  for  Napoleon.  A  broader  question  than  patriot- 
ism was  here  involved. 

Patriotism  seeks  the  good  of  a  small  section.  Altruism 
embraces  the  good  of  all,  thus  including  patriotism. 

This  Symphony  was  the  best  work  which  Beethoven  had 
yet  accomplished;  a  work,  the  grandeur  and  sublimity  of 
which  must  have  been  a  surprise  to  himself.    It  was  conceived 


i6o  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

in  the  spirit  of  altruism,  to  show  his  appreciation  of  the  man 
whom  he  believed  was  destined  more  than  any  other  to  up- 
lift humanity.  In  the  quality  of  its  emotional  expression, 
and  also  in  its  dimensions,  it  far  exceeds  anything  of  the  kind 
that  had  yet  appeared. — It  is  unique  as  a  symphony,  just  as 
Napoleon  was  unique  as  a  man.  On  finishing  the  work,  he 
put  the  name  of  Bonaparte  on  the  title  page. 

BONAPARTE 
LUDWIG  VAN  BEETHOVEN 

With  perfect  propriety  the  concept  is  here  established 
that  two  great  men  are  before  the  world;  Napoleon  and 
Beethoven,  and  that  the  latter  is  as  great  in  his  own  province 
as  was  Napoleon  in  his,  each  being  the  exponent  of  a  new 
order  of  things,  co-equal  in  the  achievement  of  great  deeds. 

He  was  on  the  point  of  sending  it  to  Paris  when  the  news 
was  brought  him  by  his  pupil,  Ries,  that  Napoleon  was  de- 
clared Emperor.  In  a  rage  Beethoven  tore  off  the  title  page 
containing  the  dedication  and  threw  it  to  the  floor.  "The 
man  will  become  a  tyrant  and  will  trample  all  human  rights 
under  foot.  He  is  no  more  than  an  ordinary  man,"  was 
Beethoven's  exclamation. 

THE  NINTH  SYMPHONY 

We  stand  today  before  the  Beethoven  symphony  as  before 
the  landmark  of  an  entirely  new  period  in  the  history  of 
universal  art,  for  through  it  there  comes  into  the  world  a 
phenomenon  not  even  remotely  approached  by  anything  the 
art  of  any  age  or  any  people  has  to  show  us. — Wagner. 


A  FRIEND  i6i 

It  is  the  work  of  the  seer  approaching  the  end  of  his  life 
drama,  giving  with  photographic  clearness  a  resume  of  it. 
Here  are  revelations  of  the  inner  nature  of  a  man  who  had 
delved  deeply  into  the  mysteries  surrounding  life,  learning 
this  lesson  in  the  fullest  significance,  that  no  great  spiritual 
height  is  ever  attained  without  renunciation.  This  world 
must  be  left  behind.  Asking  and  getting  but  little  from  it, 
giving  it  of  his  best;  counting  as  nothing  its  material  advan- 
tages, realizing  that  contact  with  it,  had  for  him  but  little  joy; 
the  separation  from  it  was  nevertheless  a  hard  task.  This 
mystery  constantly  confronted  Beethoven,  that  even  when 
obeying  the  truer  behests  of  his  nature,  peace  was  not  readily 
attained  thereby;  often  there  was  instead  an  accession  of  un- 
happiness  for  the  time  being.  Paradoxically  peace  was  made 
the  occasion  for  struggle,  it  had  to  be  wrested  from  life.  No 
victory  is  such  unless  well  fought  for  and  dearly  bought. 
This  eternal  struggle  with  fate,  this  conflict  forever  raging 
in  the  heart,  runs  through  all  his  symphonies,  but  nowhere  is 
it  so  strongly  depicted  as  in  this,  his  last.  We  have  here  in 
new  picturing,  humanity  at  bay.  The  apparently  uneven  bat- 
tle of  the  individual  with  fate,  the  plight  of  the  human  being 
who  finds  himself  a  denizen  of  a  world  with  which  he  is  en- 
tirely out  of  harmony,  who  wrought  up  to  despair,  finds  life 
impossible  yet  fears  to  die, — is  here  portrayed  in  dramatic 
language. 

To  Wagner  the  first  movement  pictured  the  "idea 
of  the  world  in  its  most  terrible  of  lights,"  something  to  re- 
coil from.  Beethoven's  ninth  symphony,  he  says,  leads  us 
through  the  torment  of  the  world  relentlessly  until  the  Ode 
to  Joy  is  reached.    Great  souls  have  always  taught  that  the 


i62  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

relief  from  this  Weltschmerz  (misery)  is  through  the  power 
of  love,  that  universal  love  alone  can  transform  and  redeem 
the  world.  This  is  the  central  teaching  of  Jesus.  It  was 
Beethoven's  solution  of  the  problem  of  existence.  Love  for 
humanity,  pity  for  its  unfortunates,  hope  for  its  final  de- 
liverance, largely  occupied  his  mind. 

Through  this  magic  power,  sorrows  are  transformed  into 
peace  and  happiness.  The  effect  of  the  chorale  finale  is  that 
of  an  outburst  of  joy  at  deliverance,  a  celebration  of  victory. 
It  is  as  if  Beethoven,  with  prophetic  eye,  had  been  able  to 
pierce  the  future  and  forsee  a  golden  age  for  humanity,  an 
age  where  altruism  was  to  bring  cessation  of  strife,  and  where 
happiness  was  to  be  in  general.  Such  happiness  as  is  here 
celebrated  in  the  Ode  to  Joy  can  indeed  only  exist  in  the 
world  through  altruism.  Pity,  that  sentiment  which  allies 
man  to  the  divine,  comes  first.  From  this  p-oceeds  love,  and 
through  these,  and  by  these  only  is  happiness  possible.  This 
was  the  gist  of  Beethoven's  thought.  He  had  occupied  him- 
self much  with  sociological  questions  all  his  life,  always  tak- 
ing the  part  of  the  oppressed. 

It  was  many  days  before  Jehan  was  pronounced  out  of 
danger;  brain  fever  had  seized  him,  and  he  was  delirious. 
But  the  time  came  when  the  doctor  said,  "He  will  recover." 

One  day,  looking  through  the  curtains,  Jehan  saw  a  prince- 
ly carriage  drive  into  the  court,  it  was  Monsieur  Cammille 
and  Evadne.  The  gladness  of  that  hour  had  been  fought 
for  and  dearly  won;  it  was  as  though  they  had  emerged 
from  the  tomb  and  had  suddenly  entered  Paradise.  It 
seemed  to  them  that  their  tears  and  sorrows,  their  sleepless 
nights,  their  anguish,  their  despair,  changed  into  gladness, 


A  FRIEND  163 

rendered  still  more  charming  the  charming  hour  that  was 
approaching.  They  said  it  is  good  that  we  have  suffered, 
our  troubles  were  so  many  handmaidens  preparing  for  us  the 
urn  of  joy. 

The  lovers  saw  each  other  every  day  during  Jehan's  con- 
valescence. They  went  for  drives  and  sometimes  horse- 
back rides;  their  fathers  frequently  accompanying  them. 

A  sweet,  pretty  wedding  was  planned.  It  was  to  be  at  the 
house  of  Evadne,  the  beautiful  palace  of  which  she  was  now 
the  sole  mistress.  Her  father  was  there  in  the  home  of  his 
early  love. 

A  banquet  was  spread  in  the  dining  room.  Tt  was  illumi- 
nated and  brilliant  as  the  daylight;  everywhere  were  lights 
and  flowers ;  the  table  in  the  center  was  white  and  glistening. 

A  number  of  family  friends  were  invited  to  attend. 

The  joy  of  Monsieur  Lenormand  was  equal  to  that  of  the 
lovers.  Monsieur  Cammille,  in  the  serene  majesty  of  a  man 
who  had  been  put  to  proof,  was  supremely  satisfied. 

At  the  feast,  Monsieur  Lenormand,  rising  with  a  glass  of 
wine  in  his  hand,  proposed  the  health  of  the  married  pair. 

He  exclaimed,  "You  shall  hear  a  sermon,  I  will  give  you  a 
bit  of  advice.  Adore  each  other,  don't  quibble  and  quirk, 
but  be  happy.  I  go  straight  to  the  point,  make  for  yourselves 
a  nest  for  life,  and  manage  things  so  that  nothing  shall  be 
lacking  to  you.  If  there  be  no  sun,  smile  and  make  one. 
Henceforth,  there  must  be  no  sadness  anywhere.  That  there 
should  be  affliction  and  unhappiness  in  any  place,  what  a  dis- 
grace to  intelligences  created  in  the  image  of  God. 

"Evil  has  no  right  to  exist.    All  human  miseries  have  for 


i64  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

their  capital  a  central  government,  known  as  the  devil's  Tuil- 
leries,  and  man  dares  to  be  proud  and  arrogant." 

"  'Man,  proud  man, 
Dress'd  in  a  little  brief  authority, 
Plays  such  fantastic  tricks  before  high  heaven, 
As  make  the  angels  weep.' 

"  'Well,'  you  will  say,  'these  are  demagogical  words.' 
No  matter,  as  for  me,  I  have  no  longer  any  political  opinions. 
I  decree  love:  I  am  no  longer  a  royalist  except  toward  that 
kind  of  royalty.  Behold,  omnipotence,  Love.  God  is  love. 
God  wished  to  express  his  idea.  He  created  the  man,  and 
then  he  created  woman,  and  that  was  the  wit  of  God.  The 
devil,  who  is  cunning,  took  to  hating  man,  man  who  is  still 
more  cunning,  took  to  loving  woman;  in  this  way  he  does 
more  good  than  the  devil  does  harm.  There  have  been  royal 
scepters,  and  there  have  been  imperial  scepters,  scepters  of 
iron  and  scepters  of  gold,  the  Revolution  has  taken  the  scep- 
ters of  sixty  ecnturies  and  twisted  them  between  the  thumb 
and  forefinger,  like  a  wisp  of  straw,  there  is  no  longer  any 
scepter,  they  lie  on  the  earth  broken,  done  for.  This  is  the 
heritage  of  the  nineteenth  century,  but  I  defy  a  revolution 
against  the  power  of  love. 

"Yes,  Jehan,  yes,  Evadne,  you  are  right.  To  love, 
to  be  loved,  what  a  fine  miracle.  You  have  gained  the  great 
prize.  Guard  it  well,  do  not  squander  it.  Adore  each  other 
and  snap  your  fingers  at  all  the  rest. 

"Believe  what  I  say  to  you,  I  am  talking  good  sense  and 
good  sense  cannot  lie.  He  who  loves  is  orthodox,  the  man 
who  adores  God  loves  his  wife.    Why  does  God  show  us  so 


A  FRIEND  165 

many  beautiful  things  if  he  does  not  intend  that  wc  shall  love 
one  another  and  in  this  way  be  happy.  My  children  receive 
a  father's  blessing." 

It  was  a  delightful  midsummer  evening.  In  the  ante- 
chamber three  violins  and  a  flute  softly  played  quartets  by 
Haydn.  Suddenly  the  glad  strains  of  the  fourth  symphony, 
"A  Song  of  Joy,"  by  Beethoven,  stirred  the  air  throughout 
the  banquet  rooms. 

In  the  very  heavens,  the  music  of  angels  seemed  to  blend 
with  that  of  earth. 


i66 


CHAPTER  XV. 


THE  GLORY  OF  AMERICA 


Benjamin  Franklin  said  that  "He  who  shall  introduce  into 
public  affairs  the  principles  of  primitive  Christianity  will 
change  the  face  of  the  world." 

"Jefferson,  Madison,  Washington  and  the  people  of  the 
United  States  did  introduce  into  public  affairs  in  this  nation 
the  principles  of  primitive  Christianity  that  are  especially  for 
the  guidance  of  States  and  nations  as  such — the  principle  of 
the  exclusive  jurisdiction  of  God  alone  in  all  affairs  of  re- 
ligion, the  principle  of  the  exclusion  of  the  government  from 
all  things  pertaining  to  religion,  the  principle  of  perfect  Re- 
ligious Liberty. 

"And  this  has  changed  the  face  of  the  world. 

"No  one  thought  of  vindicating  religion  for  the  conscience 
of  the  individual,  till  a  voice  in  Judea,  breaking  day  for  the 
greatest  epoch  in  the  life  of  humanity  by  establishng  a  pure, 
spiritual  and  universal  religion  for  all  mankind,  enjoined  to 
render  to  Caesar  only  that  which  is  Caesar's.  The  rule  was 
upheld  during  the  infancy  of  the  Gospel  for  all  men. 

"No  sooner  was  this  religion  adopted  by  the  chief  of  the 
Roman  Empire  than  it  was  shorn  of  its  character  of  univer- 
sality and  enthralled  by  an  unholy  connection  with  the  un- 
holy State.  And  so  it  continued,  till  the  New  Nation — the 
least  defiled  with  the  barren  scoffings  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 


THE  GLORY  OF  AMERICA  167 

tury,  the  most  general  believer  In  Christianity  of  any  people 
of  that  age,  the  chief  heir  of  the  Reformation  in  its  purest 
form — when  it  came  to  establish  a  government  for  the  Uni- 
ted States,  refused  to  treat  faith  as  a  matter  to  be  regulated 
by  a  corporate  body,  or  as  having  a  headship  in  a  monarch  or 
a  State." 

"The  Constitution  establishes  nothing  that  interferes  w^ith 
equality  and  individuality.  It  knows  nothing  of  differences 
by  descent,  or  opinions,  or  favored  classes,  or  legalized  relig- 
ion, or  the  political  power  of  property.  It  leaves  the  individ- 
ual alongside  of  the  individual. 

"No  nationality  of  character  could  take  form,  except  on 
the  principle  of  individuality ;  so  that  the  mind  might  be  free, 
and  every  faculty  have  the  unlimited  opportunity  for  its  de- 
velopment and  culture. — The  rule  of  individuality  was  ex- 
tended as  never  before. — Religion  was  become  avowedly  the 
attribute  of  man,  and  not  of  a  corporation. 

"Vindicating  the  right  of  individuality  even  in  religion, 
and  in  religion  above  all,  the  New  Nation  dared  to  set  the 
example  of  accepting  in  its  relations  to  God  the  principle  first 
divinely  ordained  in  Judea." 

The  Lord  Jesus,  the  Author  of  the  Gospel  as  it  was  first 
propagated,  proclaimed  from  God  this  perfect  Religious  Lib- 
erty, in  the  sweeping  words,  "If  any  man  hear  my  words  and 
believe  not,  I  judge  him  not."  John  12:47. 

When  the  Creator  and  Lord  of  all,  declares  every  man's 
freedom  not  to  believe  even  his  words,  then  that  utterly  ex- 
cludes all  other  persons,  potentates,  and  powers,  from  ever 
judging  or  condemning  anybody  for  any  dissent  or  variance 
in  any  matter  of  religion  or  faith. 


i68  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

And  that  is  the  American  and  Constitutional  principle. 

And  so  says  the  Scripture  again:  "Who  art  thou  that 
judgest  another  man's  servant?  To  his  own  master  he  stand- 
eth  or  falleth.  Yea,  he  shall  be  holden  up;  for  God  is  able 
to  make  him  stand. 

"So,  then,  every  one  of  us  shall  give  account  of  himself 
to  God."    Rom.  14:4,  12. 

America's  destiny 

"Through  its  Sunday  laws  this  principle  of  the  Gospel  was 
repudiated,  and  this  liberty  blotted  out  in  all  Europe  by  the 
world  despotism  of  the  papacy,  that  sunk  the  Roman  Empire 
and  carried  the  world  to  the  brink  of  perdition.  In  the 
Reformation  God  again  rescued  mankind,  and  called  men  to 
the  religious  liberty  upon  which  the  Gospel  was  first  propa- 
gated. But  not  till  the  planting  of  this  newest  nation  did 
these  principles  ever  find  any  place  of  recognition  in  govern- 
ment. 

"The  principles  had  always  been  there  for  recognition  by 
every  government.  The  principles  were  ordained  of  God 
for  the  recognition  of  governments  and  of  men  everywhere. 
But  to  this  nation  alone  in  all  the  world,  befell  the  splendid 
distinction  of  taking  this  divinely  ordained  way  of  genuine 
religious  liberty  as  a  fundamental  government  principle.  And 
this  religious  liberty  has  assured  in  this  land  civil  liberty  in 
higher  degree  and  larger  measure  than  was  ever  known  be- 
fore on  earth. 

"And  by  these  two  great  principles  of  religious  liberty  and 
civil  liberty,  this  nation  has  led  the  whole  world  out  of  the 
darkness  and  into  the  light.     And  here  she  is,  Columbia, 


THE  GLORY  OF  AMERICA  169 

Queen  of  nations;  glorious  in  her  goodly  apparel,  and  ma- 
jestic in  her  beautiful  form. 

"And  now  who  wants  to  see  her  with  troubled  countenance 
and  tear-stained  face,  with  bowed  head  and  disheveled  hair, 
and  her  fair  limbs  marred  with  manacles,  at  the  tail  end  of 
a  dismal  mewling  procession,  ecclesiastically  led,  trailing 
along  the  old  and  hateful  paths  of  despotism,  back  down 
into  the  dark  valley  of  the  humiliation  and  despair  of  man- 
kind and  the  world? 

"No,  no,  no.  Let  her  be  devoutly  kept  and  sacredly  guarded 
— free,  body,  soul,  and  spirit,  forever  free.  And  she  with 
noble  head  erect,  and  her  face  to  the  light;  her  countenance 
radiant  and  eyes  sparkling,  her  glorious  tresses  joyously 
tossing  in  the  bracing  breezes  of  religious  liberty,  herself 
leading  the  grand  march  of  mankind  and  the  world  upward 
to  the  sublimest  heights  of  the  divine  destiny." 

— ^A.  T.  Jones,  "Washington  Herald,"  March,  1912. 
Washington,  D.  C. 

SUBVERSIVE  PRINCIPLES 

This  drama  at  the  moment  of  its  narration  is  on  the  point 
of  penetrating  in  the  depths  of  a  densely  dark  cloud,  more 
tragic  than  any  that  has  yet  enveloped  the  human  race. 

For  fifty  years  and  more  things  have  been  done  akin  to 
sprinkling  salt  on  the  tails  of  the  human  race  in  order  to 
abolish  the  eagle. 

In  plain  words,  a  counter  revolution  has  taken  place.  It 
has  not  been  a  bloody  revolution;  it  has  been  a  quiet  revo- 
lution by  which  the  seeds  of  monarchy  have  been  implanted, 


I70  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

not  in  name,  but  in  reality;  the  name  Republic  is  retained, 
and  ever  will  be. 

Silently  yet  swiftly  and  surely  as  one's  .:narch  toward  the 
grave  is  the  revolution  in  progress  destroying  the  doctrines 
of  the  fathers. 

By  means  of  the  press,  the  pulpit  and  the  platform  this 
revolution  has  been  effected.  The  very  air  is  filled  with  the 
seeds  of  monarchy,  pregnant  with  dissolution. 

Moreover  this  revolution  has  passed  from  the  realm  of  the 
press,  pulpit  and  platform,  in  to  the  realm  of  action  and 
practice. 

"The  immortal  principles  of  civil  and  religious  liberty, 
born  and  cradled  in  the  United  States  in  the  closing  part  of 
the  eighteenth  century  have  been  abandoned  by  the  nation 
which  gave  them  birth. 

'The  United  States  government  has  in  principle  deliber- 
ately and  expressly  repudiated  every  principle  of  its  Consti- 
tution as  a  republican  government. — See  Congressional  record 
dated  Wednesday,  February  27,  1901. 

There  are  now  in  existence  federations  more  extensive  and 
more  powerful  than  any  that  the  world  has  ever  known,  as 
reactionary  and  subversive  of  the  "New  Order"  of  things 
as  anything  can  possibly  be.  The  glory  of  the  New  Order 
of  things  which  thrilled  this  poor  old  world  is  now  being 
reversed  to  the  old  order  of  the  dismal  glory  of  despotism. 

The  following  is  only  some  of  the  most  recent  history  of 
facts : 

"In  the  month  of  November,  1905,  there  was  held  in  New 
York   City   a   conference   of   five   hundred    delegates    from 


THE  GLORY  OF  AMERICA  171 

twenty  professed  Protestant  denominations,  to  consider  tht 
question  of  the  general  federation  of  the  Protestantism  of 
the  United  States. 

"The  call  for  delegates  to  the  proposed  conference  dis- 
tinctly stated  that  the  object  of  the  meeting  was  to  secure  an 
effective  organization  of  the  various  Protestant  communions 
of  this  conutry,  and  to  form  a  bond  of  union  that  will  en- 
able Protestantism  to  present  a  solid  front  to  the  forces  of 
evil,  and  in  every  possible  way  unite  its  activities  for  the 
spiritual  conquest  of  the  world  and  the  final  triumph  of  the 
kingdom  of  God.  It  was  plainly  stated  that  the  purpose  of 
the  Federation  was  that  thereby  the  churches  could  'bring 
pressure  to  bear  upon  city,  county,  state  and  national  govern- 
ments,* in  order  that  by  these  the  collective  will  of  the 
churches  shall  be  made  effectual  in  law  and  by  the  power  of 
the  governments,  of  city,  county,  state  and  nation. 

"It  was  explained  that  there  are  things  which  the  churches 
wish  to  accomplish,  but  which  can  be  done  effectually  only 
through  law  and  by  the  power  of  the  government. 

WORDS  OF  WARNING 

Words  of  warning  were  spoken  by  Bishop  Fowler  of  the 
M.  E.  Church  of  the  Conference  in  New  York  City,  that 
organized  the  Federal  Council : 

"If  this  Federation  shall  grow  into  a  centralized  power, 
then  we  shall  see  here  despotism,  cruelty,  and  persecution, 
by  Protestantism. 

"It  was  a  sorry  day  for  the  world  when  there  was  but  one 
human  brain  in  religion,  and  that  brain  in  the  chair  of  St. 
Peter's  at  Rome. 


172  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

"And  human  nature  has  not  changed." 

"Centralized  power  in  religion  is  certainly  intended  by 
the  Federation.  And  centralized  power  will  come  as  cer- 
tainly as  it  is  intended. 

"Even  though  this  were  not  intended,  it  would  certainly 
come.  It  is  inherent  in  the  very  idea  and  philosophy  of 
Federation  in  religion. 

"But  it  is  definitely  intended.  Witness  the  fact  that  at 
Hays,  Kansas,  March  13,  191 5,  Rev.  Frank  Strong,  Chan- 
cellor of  the  University  of  Kansas,  said: 

"  'Christianity  must  end  its  divisions,  so  it  may  speak  with 
unity  and  authority. 

"  *It  must  become  a  governing  force  in  our  economic  and 
political  system. 

"  'Christianity  must  control  political  forms,  so  that 
through  political  agencies  it  may  adequately  express  itself.' 

"  'If  Christianity  had  remained  without  division,  and  there 
was  one  universal  church,  then  the  head  of  the  church,  what- 
ever his  office  or  title,  could  have  prevented  the  great  war.' 

"This  is  but  the  expression  also  of  the  whole  thought  of 
the  set  speeches  in  the  California  State  Federation  of  church- 
es in  annual  meeting  at  Sacramento,  March   i6,   191 5. 

"Are  you  ready,  are  you  willing,  to  have  it  so? 

"Can  such  a  thing  be  for  any  kind  of  good  at  all  in  the 
world  ? 

"If  you  say  no,  then  it  is  very  urgent  that  you  be  wide- 
awake and  diligent  to  oppose  this  whole  scheme  yourself,  and 
to  do  all  possible  to  enlighten  all  others  in  order  that  they, 
too,  may  be  kept  from  being  swallowed  up  and  carried  away 
by  this  enormously  evil  tide. 


THE  GLORY  OF  AMERICA  173 

That  is,  it  is  very  urgent  that  you  be  Protestant. 

"And  now  is  the  time. 

"It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  all  the  consequences  are  in 
the  principle. 

"And  the  only  surety  of  avoiding  the  consequences  is  in 
denying  the  principle. 

"And  the  only  proper  time  to  deny  the  principle  is  when 
it  is  avowed. 

"It  is  too  late  when  only  experience  of  oppression  and 
suflFering  cause  dissatisfaction  and  complaint. 

"And  that  is  no  true  denial  of  the  principle.  It  is  only 
a  selfish  plea  for  relief  from  inconvenience. 

"Now  is  the  accepted  time.    Now  is  the  day  of  salvation." 

FRIENDLY  TO  ROME  _^ 

"All  that  here  has  been  written  of  the  meaning  and  con- 
sequences of  the  principles  and  declarations  of  the  Federal 
Council,  is  true  as  to  the  Federal  Council  in  itself  considered. 

"And  it  reveals  that  the  Federation  of  churches  is  an  ele- 
ment of  positive  danger  to  this  Nation,  and  to  the  liberties  of 
the  people. 

"Yet  all  of  this  could  be  waived  as  to  the  Federal  Council 
in  and  of  itself  considered  and  still  that  Council  would  stand 
as  an  element  of  the  greatest  danger  to  civil  and  Religious 
Liberty  in  this  Nation,  because  of  its  settled  friendliness  to 
Rome. 

"Although  the  Federal  Council  was  organized  as  ex- 
clusively Protestant  and  stands  as  the  Federation  of  Protes- 
tantism only,  its  settled  friendliness  to  the  Roman  Catholic 
church  is  beyond  all  possibility  of  question. 


174  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

"This  has  been  made  certain  by  the  words  and  actions  of 
the  Council  itself  and  its  official  agencies.  Let  these  be 
witness : 

NOT  AGAINST  ROME 

"i.  The  official  announcement  in  the  daily  papers  of 
Chicago,  of  the  date  and  place  of  the  meeting  of  the  Council 
to  be  held  in  that  city,  Dec.  4-9,  1912,  said: 

"  'United  Protestantism  is  not  to  be  construed  as  a  demon- 
stration against  the  Roman  Catholic  church.' 

"In  view  of  what  Rome  is  universally  known  to  be ; 

"In  view  of  what  Rome  has  repeatedly  declared  that  she 
intends  to  do  in  and  for  and  with  and  through  this  Nation; 

"In  view  of  what  Rome  is  actually  doing  in  the  United 
States,  and  as  to  the  government  and  laws  of  the  United 
States ; 

"For  the  Federal  Council  speaking  for  'eighteen  millions 
of  people,'  in  the  most  public  manner,  to  state  that  it  is  not 
even  'to  be  construed  as  a  demonstration  against  the  Roman 
Catholic  church,'  certainly  to  say  the  least,  shows  that  it  is 
profoundly  sympathetic,  if  not  positively  friendly,  toward 
that  body,  and  surely  could  be  nothing  else  than  very  whole- 
some and  very  full  of  comfort  to  her." 

REPUDIATES  PROTESTANT 

"When  the  Council  met  in  Chicago,  the  above  preliminary 
statement  was  confirmed  beyond  all  possibility  of  doubt  or 
question  in  the  fact  that — 

2.  "In  the  very  first  business  session  and  in  dealing  with 
the  very  first  report,  the  Council  deliberately  struck  out  of 


THE  GLORY  OF  AMERICA  175 

the  report  and  from  the  Council's  proceedings  the  word  Pro- 
testant. 

"The  regular  quadrennial  report  of  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  the  Council  expressed  the  'earnest  hope  that  the 
second  Federal  Council  would  make  yet  more  clear — 

"  'The  fact  of  the  substantial  unity  of  the  Christian  and 
Protestant  churches  of  the  Nation.' 

"Immediately  upon  the  consideration  of  the  report,  the 
word  Protestant  was  challenged. 

"  'Why  emphasize  a  word  that  is  not  a  uniting  but  a  di- 
viding word  ?  a  word  that  recalls  a  most  unhappy  and  trying 
experience,'  said  one. 

"  'By  using  this  word,  you  make  it  more  difficult  for  many 
of  your  Christian  brethren  to  work  with  you,'  said  another. 

"Discussion  was  presently  cut  off  by  a  motion  to  re-submit 
the  report  for  revision,  eliminating  the  word  Protestant  which 
was  done  thus — 

"  'To  express  the  fellowship  and  catholic  unity  of  the 
Christian  Church.' 

"In  December,  1908,  at  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  in  the  first 
meeting  of  the  Federated  Council  as  such,  'the  right  of  private 
judgment'  that  was  'emphasized,'  and  the  'individuality'  that 
was  'developed  in  a  notable  manner'  by  'the  Protestant 
Reformation,'  was  specifically  abandoned  as  that  which 
should  'no  longer  blind  the  minds  of  believers  to  the  need 
of  combination  and  of  mutuality  in  service.' 

"The  right  of  private  judgment  in  religion,  and  the  prin- 
ciple of  individual  responsibility  to  God,  are  two  essentials 
of  the  Protestant  Reformation.     Without  these  there  never 


176  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

would —  there  never  could — have  been  any  Reformation. 
But  these  are  not  only  essentials  of  the  Protestant  Reforma- 
tion.    They  are  essentials  of  Christianity  itself. 

"And  yet  in  the  keynote  speech  of  the  first  meeting  of  the 
Federal  Council  that  was  ever  held,  the  declaration  was 
made  and  published  as  the  standing  word  of  the  Council, 
that  these  essentials  of  the  Reformation  and  of  Christianity 
should  "no  longer  blind  the  mind  of  believers." 

THE  PART  OF  ROME 

"The  Federation  of  Catholic  Societies  was  begun  Sunday 
forenoon,  August  20,  1916. 

THE  OPENING 

"Was  with  a  'special,'  'extraordinary'  'pontifical'  'solemn 
high  mass,'  at  which  His  Eminence,  Cardinal  Farley  offici- 
ated. 

"The  scene  within  the  famous  cathedral  was  one  which 
had  never  been  equalled  in  this  country  since  the  institution 
of  the  church  hundreds  of  years  ago  on  this  continent. 

"In  fact,  it  was  the  most  beautiful  spectacle  of  its  nature 
that  could  have  been  arranged. 

"The  beautiful  interior  of  the  edifice  was  enhanced  by  the 
artistic  arrangement  of  American  flags,  while  great  folds  of 
yellow  and  white,  the  papal  colors,  were  entwined;  thus 
blending  the  National  colors  of  the  United  States  and  those 
of  the  church  in  harmony. 

"The  mass  that  was  to  have  begun  the  convention  was  to 
have  started  at  11  o'clock,  but  the  magnificent  ecclesiastical 


THE  GLORY  OF  AMERICA  177 

procession  that  preceded  the  service  was  of  more  magnitude 
than  had  been  anticipated. 

"The  procession,  long  drawn  out,  of  all  these  ecclesiastics 
in  their  silken  purples  and  scarlets,  decked  with  gold  and 
precious  stones  and  pearls,  flashing  and  shimmering  in  the  sun- 
shine, was  duly  awesome  and  impressive,  of  course,  as  de- 
signed." 

Accordingly,  the  laudation  continues: 

"The  crowds  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Cathedral  were  enor- 
mous." 

THE    CROWNING    FEATURE 

"The  concluding  feature  of  the  procession  was  the  one 
that  attracted  the  greatest  amount  of  attention  and  interest." 

And  what  could  this  feature  be  that  so  transcended  all  that 

had  gone  before,  as  to  attract  "the  greatest  amount  of  at- 
tention and  interest?" 

Oh,  wonderful  to  tell — 

"It  was  the  arrival  of  the  venerable  Cardinal  Gibbons  of 
Baltimore." 

And  equally  wonderful — 

"The  dean  of  the  Sacred  College  (the  same  Cardinal  Gib- 
bons) walked  very  slowly  up  the  aisle." 

And  still  a  wonderful  part  of  this  crowning  "feature  of 
the  procession,"  he  not  only  "walked  very  slowly  up  the ' 
aisle,"  but  he  did  this  great  feature,  "imparting  his  blessing 
to  right  and  left  as  he  proceeded." 

Now,  must  not  that  have  been  truly  enough  and  worthy 
to  be,  a  "feature"  to  "attract  the  greatest  amount  of  attention 
and  "interest"  of  such  a  crowd  at  such  a  time  and  in  such 
a  place? 


178  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

And  properly  awed  by  the  transcendently  or  perhaps  tran- 
scendentally  wonderful  sight  and  fact  of  a  little  old  man 
walking  very  slowly  and  making  empty  motions  of  imaginary 
blessings, — 

"Every  soul  of  that  great  congregation  (of  'more  than 
eight  thousand')  appeared  more  than  interested,  and  it  was  a 
great  tribute  to  the  primate  of  the  church  in  this  country." 

The  convention  was  expressly  designed  and  worked  to  im- 
press this  nation  with  a  sense  of  what  the  church  of  Rom«' 
is  in  this  land. 

''And  Cardinal  O'Connell's  speech  was  the  particularly 
set  feature  of  that  convention. 

"The  convention  being  specially  set  to  magnify  Rome  in 
this  Nation  and  this  speech  being  the  one  towering  feature 
in  the  convention,  it  follows  that  this  speech  can  justly  be 
held  as  the  voice  of  the  convention  and  therefore  of  Rome  in 
the  United  States  and  to  the  United  States." 

"In  the  speech  there  are  four  items  that  are  made  promi- 
nent: 

"i.     Rome's  'liberty.' 

"2.     The  religious  State. 

"3.     Rome's  'patriotism.' 

"4.  Rome's  'admiration  and  love  for  America  and  Ameri- 
can institutions.'  " 

Rome's  ''liberty" 

"It  must  be  said  that  it  is  Rome's  'liberty'  that  is  pro- 
posed in  the  cardinal's  speech;  and  that  is  a  very  diflFerent 
thing  from  American  liberty  or  liberty  as  it  is  in  truth. 

"First,  he  asb,  'What  is  liberty?' 


THE  GLORY  OF  AMERICA  179 

Then,  instead  of  answering  his  own  question  directly  or 
even  at  all  by  an  open  definition  and  analysis  of  the  term,  he 
sails  away  off  and  beggingly  insinuates  an  utter  fallacy  and 
falsity  which  he  expects  the  people  with  him  to  assume  is  the 
answer. 

"And  this  fallacy  and  falsity  is  his  answer  as  to  what  is 
liberty.  But  it  is  only  Rome's  answer;  and  it  is  only  Rome*s 
'liberty'  that  is  insinuated.  And  that  is  as  far  from  American 
Liberty,  or  liberty  as  it  is  in  truth,  as  heaven  is  from  earth, 
as  essential  truth  is  from  falsity,  and  as  Rome  is  from  the 
right. 

"And  in  this  beggingly  insinuated  answer,  there  is  insinu- 
ated all  that  Rome  herself  is.     Here  is  how  he  does  it: 

"  'And  what  is  liberty?  For  if  it  is  true  that  America 
has  given  us  liberty,  it  is  truer  still  that  liberty  alone  can 
preserve  America.' 

"In  this  discussion  of  'America,'  he  means  the  government 
of  the  United  States. 

"Note  the  fallacy — 'If  it  be  true  that  America  has  given 
us  liberty?' 

"And  that  fallacy  of  'America  having  given  us  liberty'  and 
'granted'  liberty  is  so  repeated — three  times  repeated,  four 
times  said  in  all — that  it  stands  perfectly  plain  as  the  only 
conception  of  liberty  that  Rome  has,  and  that  'granted  liber- 
ty' is  the  only  'liberty'  that  Rome  knows." 

AMERICAN   LIBERTY 

"But  that  is  the  absolute  opposite  of  American  Liberty. 
American  Liberty  never  was  granted  by  anybody  to  anybody ; 


i8o  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

much  less  was  it  granted  by  the  American  government  to 
anybody. 

"American  Liberty  cannot  be  'granted.'  It  is  not  of  the 
sort  of  things  that  can  be  'granted.' 

"American  Liberty  is  originally  and  inherently  possessed 
by  every  soul,  as  the  direct  endowment  of  the  Creator  in  the 
very  act  and  fact  of  the  creation  of  man. 

"Accordingly  these  Americans  said  that  'liberty'  that  is 
'granted'  or  that  can  be  granted  is  not  liberty: 

- "  'That  when  any  form  of  government  becomes  destructive 
of  these  ends,  it  is  the  right  of  the  people  to  alter  or  to  abolish 
it  and  to  institute  a  new  government,  laying  its  foundation  on 
such  principles  and  organzing  its  powers  in  such  form  as  to 
them  shall  seem  most  likely  to  effect  their  safety  and  happi- 
ness.' 

"Thus  in  just  two  sentences  there  was  annihilated  the  doc- 
trine of  despotism  that  had  been  anointed  and  'hallowed'  by 
the  church  of  Rome,  and  fortified  with  the  'holy'  precedents 
of  twelve  hundred  years — the  doctrine  of  the  divine  right  of 
rulers. 

"And  in  the  place  of  the  old  falsehood  and  despotic  theory 
of  the  sovereignty  of  the  government  and  the  subjection  of 
the  people,  there  was  declared  to  all  nations  and  for  all  time, 
the  self-evident  truth  and  divine  principle  of  the  snbjection 
of  the  government  and  the  sovereignty  of  the  people. 

THE  OPPOSITE 

"But  Rome's  'liberty'  is  the  opposite  of  all  this.  And  it  is 
the  antagonism  of  all  this. 

"Her  claim  is  that  the  people  can  not  govern  themselves, 


THE  GLORY  OF  AMERICA  i8i 

that  they  can  not  be  trusted,  that  government  is  of  divine 
right  from  the  church  and  under  the  submissive  guidance  of 
the  church  and  for  the  honor  and  glory  of  the  church. 

"And  this  is  precisely  the  point  to  w^hich  Cardinal  O'Con- 
nell  runs  under  cover  of  his  fallacy  of  the  government  'giv- 
ing' and  'granting'  'liberty.'  And  then  vs^ith  a  w^ould-be 
mighty  swoop,  he  declares: 

"  'And  so  every  human  being  in  search  of  liberty  must  in- 
evitably accept  one  or  another  of  these  three  things — either 
the  w^him  of  a  tyrant  resting  alone  on  force  of  arms,  or 
sacred  law  or  no  law  at  all.  Let  him  seek  and  seek  forever, 
but  from  this  inexorable  logic  he  never  can  hope  to  escape.' 

"But  the  truth  is,  that  there  is  no  inexorable  logic  in  it, 
nor  about  it;  for  neither  inexorable  logic  nor  any  other  be- 
gins with  fallacy. 

"And  when,  as  in  this  case,  attempt  is  made  to  do  it,  then 
simply  puncture  the  fallacy  and  'this  inexorable  logic'  in- 
stantly becomes  a  vacuum  abhorred  by  nature,  and  more  by 
grace,  and  no  less  by  American  Liberty,  which  is  both  nature 
and  grace. 

"Yet  it  must  be  said  that  at  the  rate  at  which  has  for  some 
time  been  moving  the  increasing  tide  of  the  dependence  of  the 
people  on  the  government  for  help  in  many  things,  it  will  be 
only  a  little  while  before  they  will  actually  be  depending  on 
the  government  for  liberty  and  will  be  willing  to  accept  as 
liberty  what  the  government  grants.  And  then  government 
and  people  and  all  will  be  fully  on  Rome's  ground,  instead  of 
on  American  ground,  and  Rome  can  and  assuredly  will  take 
full  possession. 


i82  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

"The  American  principle  is  self-help  and  governmental- 
protection.  But  when  that  is  reversed  to  governmental  help, 
then  the  reversal  inevitably  reaches  to  self -protection.  And 
among  a  helpless  people,  self-protection  becomes  a  vacuum 
that  can  be  filled  only  by  Rome  or  ruin. 

"And  for  it  to  be  filled  by  Rome,  means  equally  ruin. 

"Therefore,  the  one  thing  most  needed  in  this  Nation  is 
the  full  restoration  of  original  American  principles. 

"In  order  that  American  Liberty  shall  be  preserved. 

"In  order  that  Rome's  'liberty'  shall  never  find  place ; 

"And  in  order  that  'government  of  the  people,  by  the  peo- 
ple and  for  the  people,  shall  not  perish  from  the  earth.'  " 

Rome's  ''patriotism'' 

"The  next  would-be  'thundering'  declaration  of  Cardinal 
O'Connell's  'great  speech'  of  his  'inexorable  logic,'  that  is  not 
logical,  is  this: 

"  'It  follows  very  clearly  from  this  that  the  State  which 
throws  off  religion  must  by  inevitable  necessity  accept  either 
anarchy  or  tyranny,  and  both  end  in  utter  destruction.' 

"Now,  it  is  certain  that  this  thunderbolt  is  aimed  at  Amer- 
ica alone.  For  this  is  the  one  State  of  all  history  that  did 
throw  off  religion;  and  that  specifically  'the  Christian  re- 
ligion.' 

"When  this  nation  was  begun,  in  the  Declaration  that 
'these  colonies  are  and  of  right  ought  to  be  free  and  inde- 
pendent States,'  every  one  of  'these  colonies'  except  Rhode 
Island  had  religion.  And  with  the  Declaration  began  the 
blessed  process  and  the  American  principle  of  throwing  off 
State  religion.    The  State  of  Virginia  immediately  threw  off 


THE  GLORY  OF  AMERICA  183 

the  established  religion  of  the  Church  of  England,  and  the 
people  of  Virginia  had  American  Religious  Liberty. 

"At  this  point,  let  the  reader  please  turn  to  chapter  XI  and 
read  again  the  story  of  the  contest  for  religious  liberty  and 
how  it  was  won  for  America  and  the  world. 

CONCLUSION 

"By  the  principles  and  arguments  here  set  down  in  the 
very  words  of  the  men  of  the  contest,  as  well  as  by  the  facts 
of  the  case,  the  demonstration  is  complete  that  this  Nation 
did  'throw  oflF  religion,'  did  throw  off  particularly  the  re- 
ligion of  'the  Church  of  Rome,'  and  did  throw  off  specifically 
'the  Christian  religion.' 

"Thus  they  not  only  threw  off  somebody's  religion,  or 
somebody's  view  of  religion  they  were  actuated  by  principle, 
they  were  thorough,  they  went  to  the  foundation,  and  for  the 
organized  government — the  State — of  the  United  States,  as 
the  result  of  thirteen  years  of  public  and  general  discussion, 
they  threw  off  all  religion ;  leaving  all  religion  and  all  ques- 
tions of  religion  and  all  matters  touching  religion,  just  where 
it  belongs — to  the  individual  himself,  and  he  therefore  sub- 
ject and  responsible  only  to  'the  Universal  Judge.' 

"That  is  the  fundamental  and  crowning  principle — the 
foundation  and  the  coping — of  this  nation. 

"American  patriotism  is  loyalty — supreme  and  unswerving 
allegiance — to  that  principle. 

"The  voice  of  Rome,  by  Cardinal  O'Connell,  on  the 
special  occasion  with  the  applause  of  the  two  other  Cardinals 
and  'the  apostolic  delegate'  in  this  country,  in  most  vigorous 
terms  denounces  and  repudiates  that  principle. 


1 84  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

"Therefore  and  thereby,  the  genuine  and  true  inexorable 
logic  is  that — 

"No  person  can  be  loyal  to  the  American  Nation  and  to 
the  Church  of  Rome  at  the  same  time. 

"The  American  Nation  in  its  fundamental  and  crowning 
principle  denounces  and  repudiates  'the  Church  of  Rome.* 

"The  Church  of  Rome,  on  its  fundamental  and  crowning 
principle,  specially  proclaimed,  denounces  and  repudiates  the 
fundamental  and  crowning  principle  of  the  American  Nation. 

"The  two  institutions,  on  their  respective  principles,  arc 
diametrically  opposite  and  antagonistic. 

"On  the  American  principle,  no  man  can  be  loyal  to  the 
Church  of  Rome.  On  the  Roman  principle,  no  man  can  be 
loyal  to  the  American  Nation. 

"Accordingly,  Rome's  boasted  patriotism  for  the  Ameri- 
can Nation  is  a  preposterous  pretense  and  gigantic  fraud. 

"A  word  further  should  be  said  on  the  Cardinal's  citation* 
in  proof  of  the  sure  utter  'destruction'  that  comes  to  'the 
State  that  throws  off  religion.'     His  words  stand  thus: 

"  'The  State  which  throws  off  religion,  must  by  inevitable 
necessity,  accept  either  anarchy  or  tyranny,  and  both  end  in 
utter  destruction.' 

"  'No  one  who  knows  anything  at  all  of  past  history  can 
help  seeing  that  this  is  the  positive  teaching  of  facts.' 

"  'The  whole  story  of  Rome  and  Greece  and  Assyria  and 
Egypt  point  clearly  to  this  one  and  only  conclusion.' 

"And  lo,  the  truth  is  that  neither  Rome  nor  Greece  nor 
Assyria  nor  Egypt  ever  for  a  day  threw  off  religion ;  and  they 
all  went  to  utter  destruction. 

"And  more  than  that:     The  Rome  that  ended  in  utter 


THE  GLORY  OF  AMERICA  185 

destruction  was  not  only  the  Rome  that  did  not  throw  off  re- 
ligion, but  was  the  Rome  that  actually  took  on  the  very  re- 
ligion of  the  Church  of  Rome  which  Cardinal  O'Connell 
preaches  that  the  American  Nation  shall  take. 

"And  as  certainly  as  that  religion  shall  be  taken  on  by  the 
American  Nation,  so  certainly  this  will  end  in  the  like  utter 
destruction. 

"Accordingly  the  genuine  and  true  inexorable  logic  is  that 
Rome's  patriotism  for  this  Nation,  Rome's  love  of  the  coun- 
try of  America,  means  nothing  else  than  this  Nation's  utter 
destruction." 

And  that  is  not  patriotism  at  all. 

Yet  it  is  exactly  Rome's  "patriotism." 

Rome's  love  for  America  — 

"The  grand  climax  of  Cardinal  O'Connell's  speech  as  the 
voice  of  Rome  to  Americca,  is  the  following: 

"  'Oh,  yes,  we  know  very  well,  the  whole  litany  of  accusa- 
tions against  us.  We  give  only  a  divided  allegiance.  We  are 
scheming  for  government.  These  are  all  lies,  so  patent  that 
they  need  no  answer.' 

"  'As  Cardinal,  I  may  be  supposed  to  know  what  I  am  say- 
ing on  this  subject.  And  on  my  word  as  a  gentleman  of  hon- 
or, I  am  speaking  the  simple,  absolute  truth. 

"  'I  have  known  intimately,  personally,  and  officially,  three 
sovereign  pontiffs — three  popes  of  the  Catholic  church.  I 
am  a  priest  now  thirty-two  years ;  I  am  a  bishop  fifteen  years, 
and  a  cardinal  five  years.  I  have  had  the  closest  relations 
with  not  only  the  Pope,  but  the  whole  Roman  curia.    I  know 


1 86  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

well  every  priest  in  all  my  diocese,  and  every  bishop  in  this 
country.' 

"  *Yet,  never,  never,  in  all  that  experience  have  I  ever 
heard  spoken,  lisped,  or  whispered,  or  even  hinted,  by  any  or 
all  of  these,  anything  concerning  America  and  American  in- 
stitutions but  words  of  affection,  of  tenderest  and  kindest 
solicitude  for  her  welfare; 

"  'Never  a  syllable  that  could  not  be  printed  in  the  boldest 
type  and  distributed  through  out  the  land.* 

"  'Neither  plot  nor  scheme  nor  plan.' 

"  'But  only  sentiments  of  admiration  and  love.' 

"  'If  there  is  plotting,  I  ought  to  know  it.' 

"  'Yet  absolutely  and  honestly,  of  such  things  I  have  never 
heard  even  a  whisper.' 

"  'This  is  my  answer  to  all  these  insinuations.  That  I 
know  the  truth,  I  think  no  one  will  deny.  That  after  such 
a  pledge  I  am  still  concealing  the  truth;  that,  I  must  leave 
those  who,  I  repeat,  will  never  listen  to  my  answer.' 

"That  was  when  the  'whole  vast  assemblage'  sprang  to 
their  feet,  waving  flags  and  streamers,  and  for  several  min- 
utes, cheering  and  shouting,  'Bravo,  Cardinal  O'Connell;' 
and  Cardinal  Gibbons  and  Apostolic  Delegate  Bonzano 
'clapping  their  hands.' 

"The  experience  of  Mr.  O'Connell  covers  thirty-two  years. 
It  is  more  than  forty  years  since  any  other  than  such  words 
as  he  praises  have  been  used  by  Rome  toward  this  govern- 
ment ;  so  that  he  is  on  safe  ground  in  what  he  said. 

ORIGINAL  ATTITUDE 

"Back  beyond  forty  years  ago  here  is  how  Rome  looked  on 


THE  GLORY  OF  AMERICA  187 

America  and  how  she  regarded  the  Government  of  the 
United  States  under  the  Constitution  as  ordained  and  es- 
tablished originally  by  the  people  of  the  United  States.  The 
Catholic  World  of  September,  1871,  published  a  leading  ar- 
ticle in  which  the  Constitution  and  Government  of  this 
Nation  were  spoken  of  as  follows: 

"  'As  it  (the  Constitution)  is  interpreted — ^by  the  Pro- 
testant principle  so  widely  diffused  among  us — ^we  do  not 
accept  it,  or  hold  it  to  be  any  government  at  all,  or  as  capable 
of  performing  any  of  the  proper  functions  of  government; 
and  if  it  continues  to  be  interpreted  by  the  revolutionary  prin- 
ciples of  Protestantism,  it  is  sure  to  fail' — 

"  'Hence  it  is,  we  so  often  say  that  if  the  American  Repub- 
lic is  to  be  sustained  and  preserved  at  all,  it  must  be  by  the 
rejection  of  the  principle  of  the  Reformation,  and  the  ac- 
ceptance of  the  Catholic  principle  by  the  American  people.* 

"That  is  how  Rome  looked  upon  this  Nation  forty-five 
years  ago — ^she  'did  not  accept  it'  nor  'hold  it  to  be  any  gov- 
ernment at  all.*  For  nothing  can  be  more  certain  than  that 
this  government  was  founded  on  the  Protestant  principle  of 
total  separation  of  religion  and  the  State. 

"The  men  who  made  the  Nation  said  in  so  many  words 
that  they  did  it  'upon  the  principles  on  which  the  Reforma- 
tion from  popery  was  carried  on.' 

"Therefore,  it  stands  plain  that  from  the  beginning  Rome's 
attitude  has  been  antagonistic  to  this  Nation  as  it  was  es- 
tablished and  intended  forever  to  be;  and  her  purpose  dis- 
tinctly revolutionary — to  turn  the  Nation  from  its  original 
foundation  and  principle  to  the  opposite." 


1 88  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

SOME  FACTS  OF  RECORD 

"Just  thirty-two  years  ago  Pope  Leo  XIII.  issued  an  en- 
cyclical in  which  he  said: 

"  'We  exhort  all  Catholics  who  would  devote  careful  at- 
tention to  public  matters,  to  take  an  active  part  in  all  munici- 
pal affairs  and  elections  and  to  further  the  principles  of  the 
church  in  all  public  services,  meetings  and  gatherings.' 

"All  Catholics  should  do  all  in  their  power  to  cause  the 
Constitution  of  States,  and  legislation,  to  be  modeled  in  the 
principles  of  the  true  church.* 

**  'All  Catholic  writers  and  journalists  should  never  lose 
for  an  instant  from  view,  the  above  prescriptions.* 

"There,  then,  in  the  very  year  when  Mr.  O'Connell's 
thirty-two  years  of  experience  began,  there  was  the  declara- 
tion of  a  Pope  that  is  as  antagonistic  to  this  Nation  and  its 
welfare  and  revolutionary,  as  anything  could  be. 

"Thirty  years  ago  the  same  Pope,  in  a  communication  ad- 
dressed to  a  conference  of  Roman  prelates  at  Balitmore,  said 
this: 

"  'The  unlimited  license  of  thought  and  writing,  to  which 
erroneous  notions  concerning  both  divine  and  human  things 
have  given  rise,  not  only  in  Europe,  but  also  in  your  country, 
has  been  the  root  and  source  of  unbridled  opinions.'  " 

This  is  a  plain  attack  on  the  American  and  Constitutional 
Liberty  of  speech  and  of  the  press.  And  just  as  plainly  that 
is  not  true  affection,  nor  is  it  true  solicitude  for  the  welfare 
of  the  American  institution  of  Freedom  of  Speech  and  of  the 
press.     It  is  the  opposite. 

"Now  that  occurred  two  years  within  Mr.  O'Connell's 


THE  GLORY  OF  AMERICA  189 

thirty-two  years  of  ecclesiastical  experience.  And  yet  he 
'never  heard  spoken,  lisped,  or  whispered,  or  even  hinted,' 
any  such  thing. 

"Twenty-nine  years  ago  the  National  Supreme  Court  in  a 
decision  definitely  and  unanimously  committed  the  Constitu- 
tion of  the  United  States  to  the  Roman  principle,  did  definite- 
ly 'reject  the  principle  of  the  Reformation'  and  did  'accept 
the  Catholic  principle.' 

"By  declaring  that  'This  is  a  Christian  Nation,'  and  that 
'the  establishment  of  the  Christian  religion'  is  within  the 
'meaning'  of  the  Constitution. 

"Then  immediately  and  ever  since,  the  Popes  and  prelates 
of  Rome  have  been  constantly  running  over  with  the  effusive- 
ness of  their  words  of  'affection'  and  'solicitude'  and  'admir- 
ation' and  'love.' 

"Until  that  declaration  of  the  Supreme  Court,  the  Church 
of  Rome  held  and  had  said  in  print,  that  so  long  as  the  Con- 
stitution was  'interpreted  by  the  Protestant  principle  so  wide- 
ly diffused  among  us, — ^we  do  not  accept  it  nor  hold  it  to  be 
any  government  at  all.' 

"But  when  the  Supreme  Court  threw  over  tne  American 
and  Protestant  principle,  and  committed  the  Constitution  to 
the  Romish  principle  in  'the  establishment  of  the  Christian 
Religion'  as  the  'meaning'  of  it,  immediately  the  whole  atti- 
tude and  tone  of  Rome  was  changed. 

"For  then  Rome  assumed  entire  possession  of  this  Nation, 
and  published  here,  July  2,  1892,  from  the  Vatican,  that — 

"  'What  the  church  has  done  in  the  past  for  others,  she 
will  do  for  the  United  States.'  " 


I90  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

"a  catholic  country^' 

"Just  then,  too,  Rome  officially  proclaimed  the  United 
States  to  be  *a  Catholic  Country,'  'elevated'  it  to  'the  first 
rank  as  a  Catholic  Nation;'  and  permanently  established  at 
the  capital  of  the  Nation  the  Roman  'Apostolic  Delegation,' 
with  Satolli,  Archbishop  of  Lepanto,  the  first  'apostolic  dele- 
gate.' 

"Then  this  same  'apostolic  delegate'  of  the  papacy  pub- 
lished, September  5,  1893,  the  pope's  'salutation'  to  'the  great 
American  Republic,'  and  the  pope's  'call'  and  'charge'  to 
'the  Catholics  of  America.' 

"  'Go  forward  in  one  hand  bearing  the  book  of  Christian 
truth — the  Bible — and  in  the  other  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States.' 

"  'Bring  your  fellow-countrymen,  bring  your  country  into 
immediate  contact  with  that  great  secret  of  blessedness — 
Christ  and  his  Church.'  " 

THE  CATHOLIC  CONSTITUTION 

"Everybody  knows  full  well  that  'the  Bible'  which  'the 
Catholics  of  America'  are  to  'take  in  one  hand'  under  this  call 
and  charge  of  the  pope,  is  not  for  one  moment  any  other  than 
the  Catholic  Bible. 

"And  by  the  facts  it  is  just  as  certain  that  'the  Constitution 
of  the  United  States'  which  every  Catholic  is  equally  called 
and  charged  to  take  in  'the  other'  hand,  is  not  for  a  moment 
any  other  than  the  Catholic  constitution  of  the  United  States ; 
the  Constitution  made  Catholic  by  the  'meaning'  of  the  Na- 
tional Supreme  Court. 

"October  18,   19,   1893,  he  jubilee  of  Cardinal  Gibbons 


THE  GLORY  OF  AMERICA  191 

was  celebrated  in  Baltimore.  The  night  of  the  i8th,  Arch- 
bishop Ireland  delivered  a  panegyric  in  which  he  said: 

"  'I  preach  the  new  and  most  glorious  crusade.' 

"  'Church  and  the  age :  Unite  them  in  mind  and  heart  in 
the  name  of  humanity,  in  the  name  of  God.' 

"  'Church  and  age — Rome  is  the  church ;  America  is  the 
age.' 

"Now,  everybody  knows  that  any  union  of  church  and 
State  is  antagonistic  to  every  principle  of  the  Government 
and  Constitution  of  the  United  States. 

"Everybody  knows  that  such  union  never  could  be  for  the 
welfare  of  this  Nation  nor  for  the  welfare  of  any  Nation. 
It  has  always  been  a  calamity  and  a  curse  to  every  nation 
that  had  it.  And  union  with  the  Roman  Church  the  worst 
of  all. 

"Than  such  a  union  here  proposed  and  preached  in  and 
for  the  United  States,  nothing  could  be  more  fatally  revolu- 
tionary. 

"Yet  here  are  the  plain  statements  of  Pope  and  prelate 
proposing  and  preaching  that  fatally  revolutionary  thing  as 
Rome's  purpose  in  and  for  the  United  States,  and  as  being 
what  she  is  here  for. 

"There  was  proclaimed  from  a  Catholic  pulpit  in  Balti- 
more, and  published  in  Cardinal  Gibbon's  official  paper,  the 
'Catholic  Mirror,'  of  March  2,  1895,  the  papal  doctrine  that 
has  been  diligently  cultivated  all  over  the  land  ever  since, 
that  the  decision  of  the  Supreme  Court  is  final. 

"Citizens  and  others  may  read  the  Constitution,  but  they 
are  not  allowed  to  interpret  it  for  themselves,  but  must  sub- 
mit to  the  interpretation  by  the  Supreme  Court. 


192  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

"Just  as  the  Superior  Court  of  the  Church  is  final  also, 
and — infallible. 

*'A11  these  statements  have  been  made  by  Pope  and  pre- 
late within  the  thirty-two  years  of  Mr.  O'Connell's  ex- 
perience, yet  he  never  heard  spoken,  or  whispered,  or  even 
hinted,  anything  concerning  America  of  American  institu- 
tions but  words  of  affection,  of  tenderness  and  kindest  solici- 
tude for  her  welfare :  neither  plot  nor  scheme  nor  plan ;  but 
only  sentiments  of  admiration  and  love.'  " 

THE   TRICK 

"But  here  is  the  trick  in  the  words:  In  Rome's  vocabu- 
lary, that  fatally  revolutionary  thing — that  supremest  and 
unmitigated  curse  that  could  come  to  this  Nation — is  for 
the  welfare  of  the  Nation. 

"To  preach  that — that  *new  and  most  glorious  crusade' — 
in  her  diction  is  to  employ  only  'words  of  affection,  of  tender- 
est  and  kindest  solicitude'  and  'neither  plot  nor  scheme  nor 
plan,  but  only  sentiments  of  admiration  and  love.' 

"Thus  in  Rome's  realm  of  thought  and  principle  and  pur- 
pose ; 

"That  fatal  revolution  from  the  complete  separation  of 
church  and  State  to  the  vital  union  of  the  State  with  the 
Church  of  Rome,  is  for  the  'welfare'  of  the  Nation. 

"To  throw  down  the  Nation  from  American  Religious 
Liberty  to  Rome's  destructive  ecclesiastical  despotism,  is  the 
'tenderest  kind  of  solicitude.' 

"To  spend  every  waking  energy  of  Rome's  whole  world- 
wide organization  all  the  time  to  effect  that  fatal  revolution 


THE  GLORY  OF  AMERICA  193 

and  to  put  in  power  here  that  destructive  ecclesiastical  des- 
potism— all  that  is  'neither  plot  nor  scheme  nor  plan.' 

"To  scout  and  condemn  the  principles  of  the  Nation  as 
originally  founded; 

"To  repudiate  the  express  intent  of  the  Fathers  and 
Founders  of  the  Nation; 

"To  flout  above  and  to  undermine  beneath  the  purpose  of 
the  founding  of  the  Government  as  in  the  Constitution  and 
other  organic  documents  fixed — all  this  is  only  'admiration 
and  love.' 

"Thus  Cardinal  O'Connell's  asseverations  in  all  these 
words,  terms  and  phrases,  are  a  deliberate  blind,  purposely 
to  hoodwink  the  people  of  the  United  States  to  the  real  truth 
of  things. 

"Thus  it  is  demonstrated  how  certainly  govermental  rec- 
ognition of  or  connection  with  the  'Christian  religion,'  leads 
directly  back  to  the  Church  of  Rome. 

"It  shows  how  divinely  wisely  led  were  the  men  who  made 
the  Nation,  in  their  establishing  perfect  Religious  Liberty  as 
American  and  Constitutional  by  utterly  repudiating  any  and 
every  sort  of  Governmental  recognition  of  the  Christian  re- 
ligion. 

DANGEROUS  DOCTRINE 

"Twice  already,  and  from  separate  sources,  in  April, 
191 6,  has  been  expressed  on  the  floor  of  the  House  of 
Representatives  the  mistaken  and  utterly  un-American  view, 
that  the  decision  of  the  National  Supreme  Court  on  questions 
of  the  Constitution  is  final;  and  that  from  it  there  is  no 
lawful  appeal. 

"One  of  the  speakers  declared  that — 


194  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

"  'From  its  decision  there  is  no  appeal  save  to  revolution 
or  to  God.' 

"And  the  other  declared  that  any  appeal  from  that 
court's  decision  would  be  'Lawlessness.' 

"Both  of  these  speakers  expressed  what  Thomas  Jefferson 
pronounced  'a  very  dangerous  doctrine,  indeed,  and  one  of 
which  would  place  us  under  the  despotism  of  an  oligarchy.' 

"A  doctrine  under  which  Abraham  Lincoln  said,  'The 
people  will  have  ceased  to  be  their  own  rulers,  having  to  that 
extent  practically  resigned  their  Government  into  the  hands 
of  that  eminent  tribunal.' 

"The  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  is  not  the  su- 
preme tribunal  in  the  United  States. 

"The  government  of  the  United  States  is  a  government  of 
the  people,  through  the  Constitution. 

"The  people  of  the  United  States  made  the  Constitution, 
and  thereby  created  the  Supreme  Court.  And  not  here,  any 
more  than  in  any  other  place,  is  the  creature  superior  to  the 
creator. 

"The  Supreme  Court  is  not  the  Government.  It  is  only  a 
branch  of  the  Government,  co-ordinately  with  the  legislative 
and  executive  branches.  And  neither  of  these  is  supreme  in 
the  Government;  but  each  only  in  the  field  of  its  particular 
branch  of  the  Government. 

"The  people  of  the  United  States  are  the  Government  of 
the  United  States ;  and  alone  are  the  supreme  power,  author- 
ity and  tribunal  of  the  Government. 

"And  from  the  action  of  any  branch  of  the  Government 
there  is  always  open,  the  door  of  appeal  to  the  Government 
itself  which  is  the  People. 


THE  GLORY  OF  AMERICA  195 

"Only  after  the  appeal  to  the  people  can  there  properly 
be  appeal  to  God. 

"To  appeal  to  God  without  or  before  appeal  to  the  people 
would  be  to  ignore  or  deny  the  fundamental  principle  of  the 
Government  itself  as  a  Government  of  the  people,  by  the 
people,  and  for  the  people. 

"The  principle  as  v^^ell  as  the  doctrine  here  maintained  is 
unquestionably  that  of  the  intent  of  the  makers  of  Constitu- 
tion. 

"James  Madison  said:  *An  elective  (and  we  may 
equally  say,  an  appointive)  despotism  is  not  the  government 
we  fought  for.' 

"In  persuading  the  ratification  of  the  Constitution  which 
he  had  helped  to  make,  James  Wilson  said:  "Oft  have  I 
marked  with  silent  pleasure  and  admiration  the  force  and 
prevalence  through  the  United  States  of  the  principle  that 
the  supreme  power  lies  with  the  people,  and  that  they  never 
part  with  it.' 

"Another  of  these,  John  Dickinson,  said,  *It  must  be 
granted  that  a  bad  administration  may  take  place.  What 
is  then  to  be  done?  The  answer  is  instantly  found:  Let 
the  fasces  be  lowered  before — the  supreme  sovereignty  of  the 
people.  It  is  their  duty  to  watch  and  their  right  to  take  care, 
that  the  Constitution  be  preserved. 

"When  one  part  of  the  Government,  without  being  suffi- 
ciently checked  by  the  rest,  abuses  its  power,  to  the  manifest 
danger  of  public  happiness,  or  when  the  several  parts  abuse 
their  respective  powers  so  as  to  involve  the  commonwealth 
in  like  peril,  the  people  must  restore  things  to  that  order  from 
which  their  functionaries  have  departed. 


196  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

"If  the  people  suffer  this  living  principle  of  watchfulness 
and  control  to  be  extinguished  among  them,  they  will  assured- 
ly, not  long  afterwards,  experience  that  of  their  'temple' 
there  shall  not  be  left  one  stone  upon  another  that  shall  not 
be  thrown  down." 

"In  Abraham  Lincoln's  vital  disagreement  with  a  decision 
of  the  Supreme  Court,  he  said :  'Somebody  has  to  reverse 
that  decision,  since  it  is  made,  and  we  mean  to  reverse  it  and 
we  mean  to  do  it  peaceably.'     'Let  us  appeal  to  the  people.' 

"And  this  because,  'The  people,  the  people  of  these  United 
States,  are  the  rightful  masters  of  both  congresses  and  courts : 
not  to  overthrow  the  Constitution,  but  to  overthrow  the  men 
who  pervert  the  Constitution.' 

"To  the  people  he  did  appeal.  And  the  people  did  reverse 
that  decision  of  the  Supreme  Court. 

"Each  of  the  two  great  national  parties  has  acted  national- 
ly upon  this  very  question,  and  in  each  case  has  confirmed 
the  principle  and  the  right  of  appeal  to  the  people  from  de- 
cision of  the  Supreme  Court  touching  the  Constitution. 

"Each  of  the  two  standard  writers,  Bancroft  and  Bryce, 
presents  this  as  the  true  principle  and  view  of  the  Constitu- 
tion and  the  Supreme  Court. 

"Neither  in  Congress  nor  anywhere  else  should  ever  be 
forgotten  this  vital  word  of  Abraham  Lincoln: 

"  'I  insist  that  if  there  is  anything  which  it  is  the  duty  of 
the  whole  people  to  never  entrust  to  any  hands  but  their  own, 
that  thing  is  the  preservation  and  perpetuity  of  their  own 
liberties  and  institutions.' 


THE  GLORY  OF  AMERICA  197 


THE  ISOLATED  NATION 

*'At  the  St.  Louis  dinner  of  the  League  to  Enforce  Peace, 
Thursday  night,  Dec.  i,  1916,  resolutions  were  adopted  to 
form  a  branch  of  the  League  for  St.  Louis  and  Missouri,  and 
a  Committee  of  Organization  was  named. 

"The  dinner  was  attended  by  more  than  four  hundred  of 
the  leading  business  and  professional  men  of  St.  Louis,  and 
speeches  were  made  by  Mr.  Taft  and  United  States  Senator 
Stone;  and  Archbishop  Glennon  'made  a  prayer  for  lasting 
peace  on  earth,  among  men  of  good  will.' 

"Yet  the  Romish  prayer  is  exactly  fitting  to  the  League  to 
enforce  Peace.  The  prayer  is  for  peace  only  among  men  'of 
good  will:'  and  woe  to  the  man  who  happens  by  correct 
thinking  to  be  not  of  sufficient  good  will  to  please  those  who 
have  the  power  to  decide  all  things  their  own  way. 

"Now  the  peace  that  does  not  have  to  be  enforced,  but 
wins  its  own  peaceful  way,  and  so  is  permanent,  is  ion  earth 
peace,  good  will  to  men.' 

"This  peace  bears  good  will  to  men — all  men,  whether  the 
men  themselves  be  of  good  will  or  not. 

"And  this  peace,  by  bearing  good  will  to  all  men,  wins 
them  to  this  same  peace. 

"And  even  though  the  men  be  not  of  good  will  themselves, 
but  even  enemies,  yet  this  peace  which  ever  bears  only  good 
will  to  all  men,  will  win  them  to  itself — that  peace  which 
passeth  all  understanding,  and  is  as  permanent  as  God;  for 
it  is  the  peace  of  God. 

DESTRUCTIVE   PEACE 

"But  that  other  'peace"  that  is  only  to   'men   of  good 


198  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

will,'  and  that  therefore  must  necessarily  be  'enforced' — 
that  "peace"  is  only  of  men,  and  men  of  only  this  world,  men 
who  are  not  of  good  will  themselves;  and  in  the  nature  of 
things  never  can  be  permanent. 

"More  than  that,  it  never  can  be  of  any  true  benefit  to  the 
victims  of  it  even  while  it  is  enforced.  It  is  only  the  fruit  of 
terrorism,  and  necessarily  the  longer  it  lasts  the  worse  are 
its  results  upon  its  victims. 

"And  that  is  the  'peace'  of  Rome  always.  Archbishop 
Glennon  exactly  expressed  it;  and  the  Scripture  has  exactly 
expressed  the  result  of  it :  "Through  his  policy  also  he  shall 
cause  craft  to  prosper  in  his  hand,  and  shall  magnify  himself 
in  his  heart,  and  by  peace  shall  destroy  many."  Dan.  8:25. 

"That  a  League  to  Enforce  Peace  should  be  linked  up 
with  Rome,  and  should  fit  in  with  Rome's  prayers  for  Rome's 
destructive  "peace,"  is  natural  enough.  But  that  this  Nation 
of  the  United  States  should  be  dragged  into  that  destructive 
way,  and  should  be  asked  to  take  the  lead  in  causing  all  the 
nations  to  become  the  allies  of  Rome  in  "enforcing  upon  all 
the  world  her  destructive  "peace" — that  is  beyond  all  bounds 
of  propriety  or  principle  or  peace. 

Washington's  warning 

"  It  was  to  keep  the  Nation  forever  from  all  of  that  evil 
order  of  things  that  President  Washington  left  to  the  Ameri- 
can people  his  solicitous  warning  of  an  old  and  tried  friend. 

"At  that  time  every  one  of  the  European  nations  was,  and 
for  more  than  a  thousand  years  had  been,  under  the  absolute 
sway  of  the  principles  and  'peace,'  and  the  principle  of  'peace,' 
of  Rome. 


THE  GLORY  OF  AMERICA  199 

"When  the  New  Nation  was  begun  it  was  founded  on  ut- 
terly new  and  antagonistic  principles,  expressly  that  this  Na- 
tion might  escape  all  the  things  of  that  old  order;  and  also 
that  those  old  nations  might  have  an  example  that  would 
show  to  them  a  better  way. 

"This  is  all  told  in  that  one  sentence  of  Washington's 
warning  in  which  he  expressed  the  hope  that  'the  happiness 
of  the  people  of  these  States,  under  the  auspices  of  Liberty, 
may  be  made  complete.' 

"  'By  so  careful  a  preservation  and  so  prudent  a  use  of  the 
blessing — 

"  'As  will  acquire  to  them  the  glory  of  recommending  it.' 

"  'To  the  applause,  the  afifection  and  the  adoption  of  every 
Nation  which  is  yet  a  stranger  to  it.' 

"And  therein  is  where  lay  the  true  and  intentional  isola- 
tion of  this  Nation. 

"In  any  sense  of  its  being  too  far  oflF,  successfully  to  be 
reached  by  the  other  nations,  this  nation  never  was  isolated. 
The  war  of  18 12  is  sufficient  evidence  of  that. 

"But  in  its  principles — the  self-evident  truths  upon  which 
it  was  founded — this  Nation  in  the  strictest  sense  was,  and 
was  intended  to  be,  absolutely  isolated. 

"And  the  only  way  in  which  this  Nation  can  ever  properly 
cease  to  be  isolated,  is  as  Washington  defined:  namely. 
Through  the  adoption  of  these  same  principles  by  the  other 
nations. 

"And  the  only  way  in  which  this  can  be  properly  done  is 
to  have  this  Nation  in  all  its  people  so  strictly  to  maintain 
these  principles  in  all  their  native  integrity,  that  the  result 
shall  be  what  Washington  hoped  and  all  the  makers  of  the 


200  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

Nation  intended  that  thus  the  blessing  of  the  Nation  shall 
be  recommended  to  'the  applause,  the  affection  and  the  adop- 
tion of  every  nation.' 

"For  this  Nation  in  any  other  way  than  that  to  cease  to 
be  isolated,  will  be  but  the  positive  degredation  of  the  Nation 
to  the  principles  and  the  plane  of  the  European  nations  which 
it  escaped.  It  will  be  by  sheer  backward  revolution:  a  com- 
plete forgetting  and  abandonment  of  all  that  the  Nation  was 
founded  for,  and  all  the  meaning  of  its  ever  having  been  a 
separate  and  independent  Nation. 

"And  that  is  precisely  the  way  in  which  the  League  to  En- 
force Peace  proposes  to  have  this  Nation  to  cease  to  be  iso- 
lated. 

"Every  speaker  that  advocates  it  begins  with  repudiating 
the  advice  of  Washington  and  ignoring  that  of  Jefferson  and 
despising  all  the  principles  of  Madison  and  of  the  Nation. 

CRIMINAL  FOLLY 

"The  night  of  January  26,  191 7,  United  States  Senator 
Borah  delivered  an  address  before  the  Michigan  Society  of 
Washington  City,  on  the  League  to  Enforce  Peace,  in  which 
he  said: 

"  'The  policy  Washington  laid  down  is  an  inseparable  part 
of  our  scheme  of  government.  To  abandon  it  now,  after  the 
Nation  has  followed  it  and  been  strengthened  by  it  for  nearly 
a  century  and  a  half,  would  be  criminal  folly.' 

"  *I  say  that  deliberately.     I  firmly  believe  it. 

"  'There  is  a  myth  abroad  that  George  Washington,  while 
a  great  character  and  leader  was  not  much  of  a  statesman. 
In  my  judgment  he  was  the  greatest  statesman  of  all  history. 


THE  GLORY  OF  AMERICA  201 

None  surpasses  him  as  a  maker  of  government,  and  few  de- 
serve to  be  mentioned  in  the  same  breath.' 

"  'Washington's  Farewell  address  is  the  most  sublime  docu- 
ment ever  penned  by  the  hand  of  man.  Not  until  the  last 
few  years  has  any  one  been  bold  enough  to  challenge  its  wis- 
dom.' 

"  'Washington  knew  European  politics  in  his  time.  The 
same  questions,  the  same  conflicting  interests,  the  same  re- 
pression of  nationalities  exisfed  then  as  now.  The  questions 
presented  by  the  awful  struggle  now  going  on  are  identical 
with  those  which  caused  Washington  to  pen  this  immortal 
document.'  " 

A    PERILOUS    COURSE 

"  'Yet  there  has  grown  up  in  the  minds  of  some  men  a  feel- 
ing that  this  wise  policy  has  been  outgrown;  that  it  is  obso- 
lete, and  a  change  is  needed.  There  has  been  organized  in 
this  country  a  league  that  has  for  its  primary  purpose  the 
plunging  of  the  United  States  into  the  policies  of  Europe; 
the  very  thing  Washington  warned  the  Nation  against. 

"  'If  the  people  of  this  country  want  to  enter  European 
politics,  take  part  in  European  controversies,  become  en- 
tangled in  its  dynastic  dissensions;  if  they  want  to  furnish 
money  and  soldiers,  ships  and  men,  to  be  subject  to  the  call 
of  some  tribunal  or  league  in  which  tribunal  we  will  have  but 
one  vote,  very  well.' 

"  'The  people  have  a  right  to  enter  that  perilous  course  if 
they  choose,  for  this  is  the  peoples'  government.  But  let  us 
understand  perfectly  what  it  means  before  we  take  the  step. 
Let  us  not  be  deceived,  nor  deceive  ourselves.    We  should 


202  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

debate  and  consider  every  step  before  we  take  it,  for  these  are 
steps  which  once  taken  it  is  impossible  for  a  people  to  retrace. 
"  'Once  in  the  maelstrom  of  European  politics  and  it  will 
be  almost  impossible  to  get  out.  Once  involved  in  the  matter 
of  economically  boycotting  or  in  the  matter  of  enforcing  de- 
crees by  military  force,  it  will  be  practically  impossible  to  get 
back  to  the  policy  under  which  we  have  lived  and  strength- 
ened for  more  than  a  century.*  " 

PERFECTLY  VICIOUS 

"  'The  singular  and  startling  viciousness  of  this  whole 
proposition  of  a  league  to  insure  peace  or  enforce  peace  is 
this:  We  enter  the  league,  we  contribute  our  portion  of 
ships  and  soldiers  for  a  police  force  of  the  world — a  force 
large  enough  and  strong  enough  to  crush  those  who  do  not 
submit  their  vital  interests  to  arbitration  or  conciliation. 
Then  some  question  arises  as  to  immigration,  citizenship  or  of 
territorial  propinquity,  which  we  decline  as  a  people  to  sub- 
mit, especially  to  a  tribunal  so  preponderatingly  in  numbers 
against  us.  Then  we  have  agreed  in  advance  that  this  force 
which  we  have  helped  to  create  shall  attack  and  assail  us  as 
a  people.' 

"  'Without  assuming  to  assail  individuals,  I  denounce  this 
principle  as  perfectly  vicious,  as  perfectly  heinous,  indefensi- 
ble in  morals  and  not  even  hardly  a  proper  subject  for  these 
after-dinner  speeches.' 

HUMAN  NATURE  IGNORED 

"  'The  trouble  is  that  in  talking  about  leagues  of  peace  and 
arbitration  we  leave  out  one  vitally  important  fundamental 


THE  GLORY  OF  AMERICA  203 

proposition — human  nature — ^which  has  controlled  the  na- 
tional policies  for  a  thousand  years. 

"  'There  is  left  such  a  thing  as  national  spirit,  and  I  thank 
God  for  it.  There  are  some  things  no  nation  could  even  sub- 
mit to  arbitration.  Any  system  that  would  bring  the  armed 
force  of  the  world  against  a  nation  which  refused  to  arbi- 
trate such  a  question  is  to  my  mind  vicious  to  the  last  degree. 

"  *I  want  the  United  States  to  do  its  utmost  in  the  name  of 
justice  and  humanity  to  bind  up  the  wounds  caused  by  the 
great  war  now  raging;  but  to  do  so  as  a  great  neutral  na- 
tion. But  I  would  do  this  without  any  obligation  on  our 
part  that  binds  us  in  return,  save  that  which  a  great  Repub- 
lic owes  to  justice  and  humanity. 

"  'We  can  do  our  heroic  part,  our  real  part  vastly  better 
without  departing  from  our  policy  of  more  than  a  century. 
We  can  act  as  a  great  neutral  which  sees  the  right  and  has 
the  will  and  courage  to  stand  by  the  right  and  condemn  the 
wrong,  without  allowing  ourselves  to  be  drawn  into  the 
maelstrom. 

"  'Our  traditional  policy  is  sound  and  wise.  It  signifies 
no  lack  of  interest  in  the  maintenance  of  international  law 
or  international  morals.  It  is  not  antiquated,  because  it  is 
just  as  essential  for  the  maintenance  of  our  democratic  in- 
stitutions as  ever  before.  It  is  not  selfish,  because  it  would 
have  us  remain  aloof  in  order  that  we  might  be  more  helpful 
and  not  with  the  idea  of  material  gain  for  ourselves.* 

"  'Let  Europe  move  up  to  our  standard,  instead  of  us  de- 
scending to  the  standard  of  Europe.'  " 


204  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 


THE   MOST   SUBLIME  DOCUMENT   EVER   PENNED 
BY  THE   HAND  OF   MAN 

WASHINGTON'S  FAREWELL  ADDRESS" 

MOTIVE   AND  OBJECT 

"  *I  shall  carry  with  me  to  my  grave  a  strong  incitement 
to  unceasing  vows  that  heaven  may  continue  to  you  the 
choicest  tokens  of  its  beneficence; 

"That,  in  fine,  the  happiness  of  the  people  of  these  States, 
under  the  auspices  of  Liberty,  may  be  made  complete, 

"By  so  careful  a  preservation  and  so  prudent  a  use  of  the 
blessing  as  will  acquire  for  them — 

"The  glory  of  recommending  it  to  the  applause,  the  af- 
fection and  adoption  of  every  nation  which  is  yet  a  stranger 
to  it. 

"A  solicitude  for  your  welfare,  which  cannot  end  but  with 
my  life; 

"And  the  apprehension  of  danger,  natural  to  that  solici- 
tude ; 

"Urge  me,  on  an  occasion  like  the  present: 

"To  offer  to  your  solemn  contemplation, 

"And  to  recommend  to  your  frequent  review, 

"Some  sentiments  which  are  the  result  of  much  reflection, 
of  no  inconsiderable  observation,  and  which  appear  to  me  all 
important  to  the  permanency  of  your  felicity  as  a  people. 

FOE    OF   REPUBLICAN    GOVERNMENT 

"Against  the  insidious  wiles  of  foreign  influence — I  con- 
jure you  to  believe  me,  fellow  citizens — the  jealousy  of  a 
free  people  ought  to  be  constantly  awake  since  history  and 


THE  GLORY  OF  AMERICA  205 

experience  prove  that  foreign  influence  is  one  of  the  most 
baneful  foes  of  republican  government. 

"But  the  jealousy  to  be  useful,  must  be  impartial,  else  it 
becomes  the  instrument  of  the  very  influence  to  be  avoided, 
instead  of  a  defense  against  it. 

"Excessive  partiality  for  one  foreign  nation  and  excessive 
dislike  for  another,  cause  those  whom  they  actuate  to  see 
danger  only  on  one  side  and  serve  to  veil  and  even  second  the 
arts  of  influence  on  the  other.  Real  patriots  who  may  resist 
the  intrigues  of  the  favorite  are  liable  to  become  suspected 
and  odious,  while  its  tools  and  dupes  usurp  the  applause  and 
confidence  of  the  people  to  surrender  their  interests. 

THE  GREAT  RULE 

"The  great  rule  of  conduct  for  us  in  regard  to  foreign  na- 
tions is,  in  extending  our  commercial  relations,  to  have  with 
them  as  little  political  connection  as  possible.  So  far  as  we 
have  already  formed  engagements,  let  them  be  fulfilled  with 
perfect  good  faith — here  let  us  stop. 

"Europe  has  a  set  of  primary  interests  which  to  us  have 
no,  or  very  remote,  relation.  Hence  she  must  be  engaged  in 
frequent  controversies,  the  causes  of  which  are  essentially 
foreign  to  our  concerns. 

"Hence,  therefore,  it  must  be  unwise  in  us  to  implicate 
ourselves  by  artificial  ties  in  the  ordinary  vicissitudes  of  her 
politics  or  the  ordinary  combinations  and  collisions  of  her 
friendships  or  enmities. 

OUR  ISOLATION 

"Our  detached  and  distant  situation  invites  and  enables  us 


2o6  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

to  pursue  a  different  course.  If  we  remain  one  people  under 
an  efficient  government,  the  period  is  not  far  off  when  wc 
may  defy  material  injury  from  external  annoyance; 

"When  we  may  take  such  an  attitude  as  will  cause  the 
neutrality  we  may  at  any  time  resolve  upon,  to  be  scrupulous- 
ly respected ; 

'When  belligerent  nations,  under  the  impossibility  of  mak- 
ing acquisitions  upon  us,  will  not  lightly  hazard  the  giving 
us  provocation. 

**When  we  may  choose  peace  or  war,  as  our  interest, 
guided  by  justice,  shall  counsel. 

''Why  forego  the  advantage  of  so  peculiar  a  situation  ? 

"Why  quit  our  own  to  stand  upon  foreign  ground  ? 

"Why,  by  weaving  our  destiny  with  that  of  any  part  of 
Europe,  entangle  our  peace  and  prosperity  in  the  toils  of 
European  ambition,  rivabhip,  interest,  humor,  or  caprice? 

OUR  TRUE  POLICY 

"It  is  our  true  policy  to  steer  clear  of  permanent  alliances 
with  any  portion  of  the  foreign  world :  so  far,  I  mean,  as  we 
are  now  at  liberty  to  do  it ;  for  let  me  not  be  understood  as 
capable  of  patronizing  infidelity  to  existing  engagements. 

"I  hold  the  maxim  no  less  applicable  to  public  than  private 
affairs,  that  honesty  is  always  the  best  policy.  I  repeat  it, 
therefore,  let  those  engagements  be  observed  in  their  genuine 
sense.  But  in  my  opinion  it  is  unnecessary,  and  would  be 
unwise,  to  extend  them. 

"Taking  care  always  to  keep  ourselves  by  suitable  estab- 


THE  GLORY  OF  AMERICA  ao7 

lishments,  on  a  respectable  defensive  posture,  wc  may  safdy 
trust  to  temporary  alliances  for  extraordinary  cmcrgcndcs. 

NO  GRE.\TKR  ERROR 

"Constantly  keeping  in  \'ie\v  that  it  is  folly  in  one  nation 
to  look  for  distinguished  favors  from  another; 

"That  it  must  pay  w-ith  a  portion  of  its  independence  for 
whatever  it  may  accept  under  that  character; 

"That  by  such  acceptance  it  may  place  itself  in  the  condi- 
tion of  having  given  equivalents  for  nominal  favors,  and  yet 
of  being  reproached  with  ingratitude  for  not  giving  more, 

**There  can  be  no  greater  error  than  to  expect,  or  calculate 
upon,  real  favors  from  nation  to  nation.  It  ^  an  illusioo 
which  experience  must  cure,  which  a  just  pride  ought  to  dis- 
card. 

WILL  THEY 

"In  offering  to  3rou,  my  countrymen,  these  OMinsels  of  an 
old  and  affectionate  friend  I  dare  not  hope  diey  will  make  the 
strong  and  lasting  impression  I  could  wish ; 

**Tbat  they  will  control  the  usual  current  of  the  passions, 
or  prevent  our  nation  frcHn  running  the  course  which  has 
hidierto  marked  the  destiny  of  nations. 

**But  if  I  may  even  flatter  myself  that  they  may  be  pro- 
ductive of  sonie  pardal  benefit,  some  occasional  good ; 

"That  they  may  now  and  then  recur  to  moderate  the  fury 
of  party  spirit, 

"To  warn  against  die  mischiefs  of  foreign  intrigue, 

"To  guard  against  the  impostures  of  pretended  patriotism- 


2o8  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

"This  hope  will  be  a  full  recompense  for  the  solicitude  for 
your  welfare  by  which  they  have  been  dictated." 

* — ^The  American  Sentinel  of  Religious  Liberty,  Numbers 
22-28,  Washington,  D.  C,  1433  S.  Street,  N.  W. 

The  battle  begun  at  the  close  of  the  eighteenth,  for  the 
cause  of  civil  and  religious  liberty,  has  been  waged  and  won 
for  the  right;  but  alas,  only  to  be  surrendered  again  by  the 
victors  to  the  vanquished.  "The  beauty  of  Israel  is  slain 
upon  the  high  place.  How  are  the  mighty  fallen.  How  are 
the  mighty  fallen,  and  the  weapons  of  war  perished." 

Columbia,  as  lovely  in  sorrow  as  in  joy,  weeps  and  pleads 
over  the  nation,  saying  in  the  beautiful  lines  of  Wister: — 

"O  Benjamin  of  nations,  best  beloved. 

Still  let  your  isolated  beacon  show 
Its  steadfast  splendors  from  their  rock  unmoved. 

Mixed  with  no  lanterns  that  flare,  fall,  and  go. 

Still  may  your  fortunate  twin  oceans  flow 
To  island  you  from  neighbors'  broils  aloof: 
Teach  liberty  to  live,  be  your  life  still  the  proof. 

"So  long  in  heaven  I  waited  for  your  birth. 

Such  joy  filled  me  when  I  became  your  soul. 

So  close  I  have  companioned  you  on  earth, 

Walked  with  each  step  you've  trodden  toward  our  goal, 
O  stray  not  now  aside  and  mar  the  whole 

Bright  path.    She  stopped,  she  laid  her  hand  on  him  ; 

He  looked  up,  beheld  how  her  clear  eyes  were  dim." 

Awake,  O  sons  and  daughters  of  the  Republic.  The  God 
of  thy  Fathers  calls  thee,  Columbia  calls  thee,  to  awake.     It 


THE  GLORY  OF  AMERICA  209 

is  not  merely  the  battle  of  the  Century,  but  the  Battle  of  All 
the  Ages,  which  is  with  thee  to  decide — to  settle  for  weal 
or  woe,  for  time  and  for  eternity. 

— Battle  of  the  Century — P.  T.  Magon,  M.  D. 


2IO  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE   FINAL  CONTEST 

Facts  exist  which  are  eruptions  in  the  surface  of  civiliza- 
tion reveah'ng  the  course  of  a  monstrous  blind  mole  having 
the  pride  of  Lucifer  and  the  ambition  qf  Caesar. 

This  rejuvenation  of  a  corpse  is  astonishing.  Behold,  it 
walks  and  advances;  this  dead  body  is  a  conqueror;  He  ar- 
rives with  his  legions,  superstitions,  prejudices,  hatreds  and 
despotism. 

Whom  are  we  accusing: — No  one.  It  is  with  the  people 
that  rest  the  responsibility,  for  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that 
the  majority  rule ;  but  when  sympathetic  souls  forget  that  the 
first  of  fraternal  obligations  and  selfish  hearts  do  not  under- 
stand that  the  first  political  necessities  consist  in  thinking  of 
the  multitude  of  sorrowing,  unfortunate,  disinherited  people, 
to  solace,  enlighten,  love  them,  to  enlarge  their  horizon  to  a 
magnificent  degree,  the  notion  of  universal  aim,  offering  the 
example  of  labor  and  sobriety,  never  of  idleness  and  drunken- 
ness, abandoning  all  hatred;  when  those  who  enjoy,  hate 
those  who  suffer ;  when  those  who  suffer  hate  and  envy  those 
who  enjoy,  when  the  vulgar  rich  flaunt  their  wealth  before 
the  eyes  of  a  disgusted  people,  building  palaces  for  poodle 
dogs,  etc.  When  philosophers  and  teachers  rest  from  their 
labors  too  soon;  then  the  soil  is  prepared  for  a  One-Man 
Power;  and  the  man  who  gets  into  power  differs  in  no  wise 


THE  FINAL  CONTEST  2 1 1 

from  his  fellows  only  in  that  he  is  just  a  little  more  clever 
than  they. 

"One  of  the  most  notable  things  of  the  present  time  is  the 
universal  spirit  of  combine. 

"So  widespread  in  its  operations  and  so  insistent  in  its 
nature,  is  this  thing  that  no  person  can  avoid  being  challenged 
by  it. 

"This  spirit  of  combine  is  not  in  any  sense  the  principle  of 
unity  of  co-operation  by  individuals  acting  collectively  toward 
a  common  purpose. 

"Instead  of  that  perfectly  proper  and  legitimate  thing,  it 
is  the  principle  of  one  mind,  of  one  individual  will,  dominat- 
ing all  others  possible  and  bending  all  these  to  the  set  purpose 
of  that  one  mind  or  individual  will. 

"This  truth  and  this  distinction  are  both  illustrated  in 
the  universally  known  fact  that  the  first  effect  of  this  spirit 
is  to  deny,  to  override,  to  break  down  and  crush  out,  all  right, 
all  freedom,  indeed  all  recognition,  of  the  individual. 

"The  second  effect  of  the  rule  of  this  spirit  is  to  destroy 
all  individuality  of  the  individual  himself.  Ths  truth  is 
stated  so  flatly  by  the  president  of  the  Federation  of  Labor 
in  the  late  hearing  of  the  unions  before  the  Senate  committee, 
that  there  is  no  room  to  doubt  it.    He  said : 

"  'The  worker,  industrially,  has  lost  his  individuality  in 
modern  times.  He  is  simply  a  cog  in  the  great  wheel  of  in- 
dustry ;  and  all  of  the  workers  as  cogs,  operate  in  co-operation 
with  each  other,  and  when  that  is  true,  individual  right  is 
gone.' 

"Whatever  business  it  may  be  that  is  comprehended  in  the 
trust — oil,  steel,  fruit,  milk,  or  what  not — no  individual  is 


212  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

allowed  to  do  anything  in  that  line  of  trade  except  as  the 
servant  of  the  trust  and  absolutely  under  the  dictation  of  the 
trust. 

"If  the  combine  be  in  the  form,  not  of  the  trust  as  such, 
but  of  the  labor  union,  then  no  individual  is  allowed  to  work 
except  as  the  servant  of  the  union  and  under  absolute  dicta- 
tion of  the  union. 

"If  it  be  in  the  form  of  the  church  federation,  then  no 
individual  is  allowed  to  preach  the  Gospel  that  he  may  have 
received  directly  from  God  except  under  the  recognition  and 
the  sanction  of  the  federation,  and  in  the  territory  assigned 
by  the  federation. 

THE   ONE-MAN    POWER 

"The  direct  logic,  as  well  as  the  inevitable  trend  of  all 
this  is  a  one-man  power.  This,  today,  is  manifest  on  every 
hand. 

"The  one-man  head  of  the  trust  can  dictate  each  succeed- 
ing day  what  the  whole  people  shall  pay  for  their  sugar,  their 
kerosene,  their  nails,  etc. 

"The  one-man  head  of  the  union  can  decide  and  dictate 
any  hour  whether  the  members  of  his  union  shall  work  or 
walk  out;  and  they  obey,  whatever  their  own  wish  may  be. 
Also  this  one-man  head  of  the  union  can  dictate  to  the  em- 
ployer what  he  shall  do,  and  how  he  shall  conduct  his  busi- 
ness or  whether  he  shall  conduct  it  at  all. 

"These  conditions  which  are  actual  and  which  no  person 
can  deny,  present  a  most  critical  situation  for  this  nation. 
For  the  logic  of  a  one-man  power  is  despotism.  And  it  is 
a  despotism  in  all  relations,  religious  as  well  as  other:  or 
rather  religious  above  all  other. 


THE  FINAL  CONTEST  213 

"For  the  spirit  of  the  combine  is  the  spirit  that  leads  one 
mind  to  usurp  the  place  and  power  of  God  over  the  minds, 
the  rights,  the  persons,  and  the  property  of  others,  and  by 
force  compel  them  to  his  own  will  and  purpose. 

"And  as  it  is  certain  that  a  man  in  the  place  of  God  will 
always  act  unlike  God,  it  is  also  certain  that  his  power  will 
always  be  exerted  in  compelling  men  to  do  things  contrary 
to  the  righteousness  of  God. 

"This  has  been  the  unvarying  history  of  it  from  the  mighty 
despotism  of  Nimrod,  the  first  who  arose  since  the  flood,  to 
the  rapidly  growing  ones  in  the  United  States  today.  For 
Nimrod  was  not  only  'a  mighty  hunter'  of  beasts,  but  also  of 
men. 

"He  was  a  persecutor.  He  pursued  and  compelled  men 
to  recognize  his  authority  in  all  things.  They  must  worship 
as  he  dictated.  And  his  bad  example  has  been  invariably  fol- 
lowed. It  was  followed  by  the  Pharaohs,  by  Nebuchadnez- 
zar, by  Darius,  by  the  Caesars,  and  by  the  Popes. 

THE    TWO   REPUBLICS 

"When  from  Nimrod  onward  the  despotism — the  combine 
— of  a  one-man  power  had  afflicted  the  world  for  ages,  there 
arose  a  people  who  renounced  it  and  all  that  was  akin  to  it, 
and  established  a  government  of  the  people. 

"They  threw  oflF  all  kingship  and  declared  that  they  need- 
ed no  such  figment  to  govern  them;  but  that  they  were  ca- 
pable of  governing  themselves:  and  so  established  a  govern- 
ment of  the  people,  by  the  people  and  for  the  people — individ- 
ual self-government,  the  republic  of  Rome. 

"They  were   right.     The   principle   was  sound   and   the 


214  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

governement  was  a  grand  success — while  the  people  really 
governed  themselves. 

"But  the  grandeur  of  the  success  brought  results  which 
caused  the  Roman  people  to  lose  the  faculty  of  governing 
themselves,  and  the  government  fell  to  cliques,  coteries, 
and  combines,  that  governed  the  government.  And  presently 
these  merged  in  the  first  triumvirate — government  of  the 
people  by  a  special  three  and  for  the  special  three  and  their 
shouters. 

"And  who  were  the  three — Crassus,  the  chief  capitalist; 
the  head  of  the  trusts  and  of  the  combines  of  the  capital  of 
the  empire. 

"Caesar,  the  pride  of  the  populace,  of  the  combines,  of  the 
unions,  and  of  the  envious  crowd. 

"Pompey,  the  pride  of  the  army. 

"These  three  men  pooled  their  power  and  deliberately  sat 
down  together  and  agreed  that  nothing  should  be  done  in  the 
Roman  State  but  by  their  consent. 

"Seven  years  afterward  Crassus  was  slain  in  the  battle 
with  the  Parthians.  Then  it  was  a  question  between  Caesar 
and  Pompey  as  to  which  of  them  should  be  the  government 
alone.  In  five  years  the  question  was  decided  in  favor  of 
Caesar,  and  he  alone  was  the  government — a  one-man  power. 

"But  a  one-man  power  was  dreaded.  Caesar  was  assassi- 
nated to  escape  it.  But  immediately  the  government  fell  to 
a  new  special  three — Anthony,  Octavius  and  Lepidus. 

"Lepidus  was  soon  shelved,  and  the  contest  was  repeated 
as  to  which  of  the  second  two  men  should  be  the  government. 
The  contest  was  decided  in  favor  of  Octavius,  and  just  thir- 
teen years  from  the  assassination  of  Caesar  to  escape  a  one- 


THE  FINAL  CONTEST  215 

man  power,  the  government  was  again  under  a  one-man 
power  where  it  permanently  remained — the  worst  despotism 
till  then  ever  known. 

"This  one-man  power,  its  despotism  and  its  empire  finally 
allied  itself  with  the  church  to  save  itself.  But  this  only 
deepened  the  despotism  and  the  general  deviltry;  and  the 
floods  of  the  tribes  of  the  forests  of  Germany  poured  over  the 
imperial  domain  and  swept  all  to  annihilating  ruin. 

"Then  out  of  that  ruin  and  over  the  new  peoples,  there  was 
built  the  one-man  power  of  the  Papacy,  the  completest  com- 
bine and  the  deepest  and  darkest  despotism  ever  known  on 
earth. 

THE   NEW  REPUBLIC 

"Those  tribes  established  kingdoms  over  all  Western 
Europe;  and  again  there  was  a  long  series  of  kingships  ex- 
panding into  empire  with  its  consequent  despotism. 

"Then  after  that  series  of  kingships  and  imperialism,  there 
arose  another  people  who  cast  off  all  kingships  and  every- 
thing akin  to  it  and  established  a  government  of  the  people. 

"They  declared  that  men  are  capable  of  governing  them- 
selves, and  need  no  such  figment  figureheads  as  kings,  Cae- 
sars, or  Popes. 

"They  said  that  men  are  possessed  of  unalienable  rights 
to  start  with;  and  that  to  secure  to  themselves  these  rights, 
governments  are  instituted,  deriving  their  just  powers  from 
the  consent  of  the  governed. 

"Accordingly  they  established  a  government  of  the  people, 
by  the  people  and  for  the  people — individual  self-government, 
the  republic  of  the  United  States. 


2i6  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

"Those  people  were  right.  The  principle  is  sound.  The 
government  was  a  grand  success — ^so  long  as  the  people  really 
governed  themselves. 

"But  how  many  of  the  people  of  the  United  States  today 
are  self-governing?  And  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the 
majority  is  in  effect  the  government.  In  a  government  of  the 
people,  when  the  majority  if  them  fail  to  govern  themselves 
the  republic  is  gone  and  a  government  of  some  other  form 
is  as  certain  to  arise  as  that  condition  continues. 

"In  the  field  of  business  and  traffic  today  in  the  United 
States  how  many  of  the  people  are  governing  themselves  in 
their  own  business? — The  vast  majority  of  them  are  gov- 
erned by  the  trusts. 

"In  the  field  of  labor,  how  many  of  the  people  are  govern- 
ing themselves? — Multitudes  of  them  are  governed  absolute- 
ly by  the  unions. 

"In  the  field  of  religion  how  many  of  the  people  are  gov- 
erning themselves  ?  Hardly  any.  Practically  the  whole  mass 
of  them  are  governed  and  expect  to  be  governed  by  the 
church.  And  when  any  would  break  the  bands  and  fetters 
that  have  been  fastened  upon  them  by  the  ecclesiastical  trust, 
the  consequences  are  the  same  in  principle  and  in  spirit,  and 
in  some  measure  even  in  fact,  as  to  those  who  would  break 
the  fetters  of  the  other  combines  of  trusts  and  the  unions. 

"This  evil  influence  has  now  become  so  widespread  and  so 
marked  that  it  finds  mention  in  leading  periodicals :  as  in  the 
Review  of  Reviews  for  October,  191 6: 

"  'There  has  been  a  steady  drift  in  our  system  of  govern- 
ment towards  personal  direction  and  control  by  the  Presi- 
dent.' 


THE  FINAL  CONTEST  ai7 

"And  that  itself  is  a  change  of  the  form  of  government. 
The  original  form  of  the  government — of  any  republic 
— is  government  'by  the  people,'  not  by  the  President. 
And  this  'steady  drift  toward  personal  direction  and  control 
by  the  President'  means  nothing  else  than  a  one-man  power. 
It  means  the  absorption  of  the  powers  of  the  government  in 
the  man  instead  of  their  being  retained  and  controlled  by 
the  people. 

"The  conditions  in  this  nation  today  are  such  that  in  a 
crisis  such  as  that  which  was  threatened  for  September  4, 
1 9 16,  the  grand  chief  of  the  trusts,  the  grand  chief  of  the 
unions,  and  the  grand  chief  of  the  church  federation,  can 
pool  their  power  and  form  a  triumvirate  as  quietly  and  as 
absolute  as  was  that  of    Crassus,  Caesar,  and  Pompey. 

"And  of  such  triumvirate  the  only  outcome  that  there  can 
be,  is  a  one  man  power,  The  logic  of  the  combine,  of  what- 
ever sort,  never  can  be  anything  else  than  a  one-man  power. 
That  is  the  only  spirit  that  ever  is  in  it. 

"And  as  certainly  as  this  shall  come,  for  which  the  way  is 
already  prepared,  there  close  beside  that  one-man  power,  as 
the  oldest  grand  chief  of  church  combine,  will  be  the  same 
perpetual  Papacy. 

"This  is  not  to  say  that  the  church  or  even  the  Papacy 
will  itself  be  the  one-man  power.  It  is  only  to  say  that  the 
church  will  be  the  inspiration  and  the  directing  voice  of  that 
which  apart  from  the  church  as  such,  will  be  the  one-man 
power. 

THE  WAY  OF    ESCAPE 

"But  thank  the  Lord  there  is  a  sure  way  of  escape  for 


2i8  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

every  individual  who  will  and  for  the  Nation,  if  the  people 
will. 

"Individuality,  note  it:  not  individualism.  For  it  is  eter- 
nally an  ity,  never  an  ism. 

"Anything,  everything,  that  ever  in  any  way  encroaches 
upon  the  individuality,  that  infringes  the  self-government,  of 
any  soul,  thereby  attacks  and  to  that  extent  undermines  the 
American  Republic.  And  to  undermine  the  American  Re- 
public does  evil  to  the  whole  world. 

"This  way  of  individuality  has  always  been  the  way  of 
escape  from  the  invariable  despotism  of  one-man  power. 

"Against  the  evil  thing  at  its  very  beginning  and  every 
step  of  the  way  since,  there  has  been  earnest  and  decided  pro- 
test on  the  part  of  God :  and  always  by  the  blessed  individual. 

"The  character  of  the  thing  itself  is  stamped  forever  upon 
it  at  its  very  beginning  in  Nimrod,  'the  extremely  impious 
rebel'  and  'overbearing  tyrant  in  defiance  of  the  Lord.' 

"And  when  by  the  followers  of  the  example  of  this  over- 
bearing tyranny  that  thing  had  so  filled  all  the  Mesopotamian 
plain  that  there  was  no  liberty  for  the  individual  anywhere 
there,  there  was  yet  one  man  who  against  it  all  would  be  the 
friend  of  God. 

"And  God  called  this  friend  of  His — ^Abraham — out  of 
the  range  of  that  despotism  to  be  free  with  Him.  And  Abra- 
ham Vent  out,  not  knowing  whither  he  went,*  but  knowing 
that  wherever  he  might  go  with  Him  he  would  be  free  and 
could  be  himself  in  the  full  range  of  his  own  blessed  indi- 
viduality. 

"And  in  this  manly  assertion  of  the  integrity  and  divine 
right  of  the  individual,  and  this  manly  protest  against  the 


THE  FINAL  CONTEST  219 

despotism  of  the  combine,  Abraham  became  'the  father  of  all 
them  that  be  of  faith.' 

"And  the  illustrious  line  of  Abraham,  of  those  that  be  of 
faith,  has  extended  unbroken  from  that  day  to  this:  as  also 
has  the  line  of  Nimrod — of  those  that  be  of  the  combine. 

"And  the  contest  has  been  always  the  same — of  the  power 
of  the  combine  against  individuality :  of  the  right  and  Liberty 
of  the  individual  against  the  power  and  despotism  of  the 
combine. 

"And  just  now  on  the  respective  sides  all  things  are  shap- 
ing for  the  final  contest. 

"And  it  centers  in  America:  American  Liberty  against 
world  despotism,  the  American  and  divine  right  of  indi\'id- 
uality  against  the  world  and  Babylonish  wrong  of  the  com- 
bine. 

•'And  in  this  final  contest,  as  all  the  way  from  the  begin- 
ning, the  right  will  win  the  day  and  the  individual  will  tri- 
umph against  the  combine  forevermore. — ^The  American 
Sentinel. 

And  now  while  the  sun  is  going  down  and  the  angel  of 
democracy  is  unfolding  his  wings,  yet  sadly  waiting  as  if  un- 
willing to  leave  the  people  to  the  consequences  of  their  own 
bad  choice,  it  is  not  too  late  to  take  the  course  which  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  and  they  who  stood  with  him  took  to  meet  that 
crisis  of  body  slavery ;  'that  course  in  that  crisis  which  carried 
them  to  a  glorious  issue,  not  only  blazed  the  way  but  es- 
tablished a  solid  and  a  broad  highway  over  which  we  may 
with  all  confidence  proceed  unto  an  issue  as  much  more  glori- 
ous as  religious  liberty  surpasses  civil  liberty.' 


220  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

"First,  it  is  ours  to  say  in  the  very  words  of  Abraham 
Lincoln  himself,  *We  have  to  fight  this  battle  upon  principle 
and  upon  principle  alone/ 

"When  we  shall  be  charged,  as  was  he,  with  resistance  to 
the  decisions  of  the  Supreme  Court,  we  can  answer  in  his 
own  words,  as  truly  and  as  fitly  spoken,  *I  do  not  resist  it. 
All  I  am  doing  is  refusing  to  obey  it  as  a  political  (a  religious) 
rule.  But  we  will  try  to  reverse  that  decision.  Somebody 
has  to  reverse  that  decision,  since  it  was  made ;  and  we  mean 
to  reverse  it,  and  we  mean  to  do  it  peaceably.'  " 

But  if  not  and  this  ideal  Republic  must  follow  the  course 
that  has  marked  the  destiny  of  civilizations  of  the  past,  and 
when  the  peace,  established  by  force  has  had  its  little  day, 
W€  shall  again  behold  religions  contending  like  two  goats  in 
the  dark  on  the  precipice  of  the  infinitie;  and  the  nations 
gathered  together  against  God  in  the  battle  of  Armageddon. 
Yet  what  have  we  to  fear,  we  who  believe,  the  river  does  not 
return  to  its  course,  no  more  is  there  a  back  flow  of  ideas, 
progress  proceeds,  the  march  of  minds  is  ever  onward  and  up- 
ward. The  globe  will  never  perish  and  there  is  an  imperish- 
ableness  connected  with  humanity. 

The  Most  High  as  the  leading  personage  in  the  Drama  of 
all  the  Ages  is  majestically  guiding  humanity  to  a  glorious 
end;  the  Golden  Era  is  fast  approaching  when  a  free  think- 
ing, free  speaking  people  shall  rejoice  in  perfect  freedom  e\'cr- 
more. 

That  individual,  patriotic  according  principle,  feels  himself 
alone,  obscure,  isolated,  the  luminous  point  of  his  ideals  lost 
in  the  depths,  surrounded  with  great  dark  menaces  heaped 
up  as  high  as  heaven  yet  in  no  more  danger  than  the  Sun 


THE  FINAL  CONTEST  221 

dropping  into  the  abyss  of  fog  or  of  the  Pleiades  in  the  maw 
of  a  cloud.  The  curtain  with  "the  Millennium"  marked 
across  it  will  drop  upon  the  tragic  scenes  of  Armageddon, 
but  when  it  rises  again,  all  will  be  changed. 

Presently  the  scene  is  changed;  ...  the  earth  again 
appears  in  the  circle  of  Eternity,  .  .  .  now  the  fairest 
star  in  all  the  heavenly  train;  .  .  .  for  **the  tabernacle 
of  God  is  with  men.'*  .  .  .  Soon  the  air  is  filled  with 
music  like  the  song  of  the  billowy  sea. 

We  wish  to  conclude  this  narrative  with  the  thought  as  to 
who  are  "The  True  Heroes  of  Earth." 

BY  EMMA  HERRICK  WEED 

"They  are  coming  this  way,"  he  said — the  angel  who  kept  the 

gate — 
"They  enter  the  city  here.     Would  you  see  their  cohorts? 

Wait. 
Within  is  a  great  feast  spread,  and  the  air  with  music  stirs ; 
For  the  King  himself  shall  sit  this  day  with  the  banqueters." 

The  heroes  of  earth.     For  these,  in  their  march  up  the  aisles 

of  palm 
I  would  wait :  from  within  came  forth  the  surge  of  a  swell- 
ing psalm. 
At  thought  of  the  nearing  hosts,  I  shrank  in  awesome  dread- 
Chief  captains  and  mighty  men,  who  should  pass  with  their 
martial  tread. 

Then,  slowly,  out  of  the  mists  up  the  way  whence  I  looked 
to  see, 


laa  THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  AGES 

With  glory  along  their  crests,  and  h'ght  on  their  panoply, 
The  warriors,  splendor-shod,  with  whose  names  Time's  an- 
nals ring — 
Came  a  band  of  pilgrims;  worn  as  from  years  of  journeying, 

Slowly,  with  halting  steps,  they  come ;  their  unsandaled  feet 
Are  bruised  by  jagged  stones,  are  scorched  by  the  desert's  heat ; 
Their  forms  are  beaten  and  marred  by  the  storm  and  the 
hurricane  ; 

But  the  stronger  uphold  the  weak  and  their  leader  upholds 

a  cross. 
Impatient,   I   look  away  down  the  slopes  where  the  palm 

plumes  toss; 
Impatient,  I  turn  to  him,  the  angel  who  keeps  the  gate — 
"But  the  heroes?    Where  are  they,  for  whom  you  bade  me 

wait?" 
For  answer,  the  gate  swings  wide,  and  dawn  streams  out  on 

the  night; 
And  that  way-worn  band  pass  through,  their  raiment  white 

as  the  light. 
For  answer,  I  hear  a  voice  from  the  heart  of  the  halos  say, 
WTiile  the  veiled  angel  bows:     "Earth's  heroes?    These  are 
they." 

Of  these  are  Abel,  Noah,  Abraham,  Joseph,  Moses,  David, 
Daniel,  Paul;  the  long  line  of  Christians  of  the  primitive 
church  and  of  the  Dark  Ages;  Militz,  Conrad  of  Wald- 
hausen,  Matthias  of  Janow,  WicklifFe,  Huss,  Jerome,  Luther 
of  the  Reformation  period — these,  and  such  as  these,  are 
earth's  heroes  and  the  world's  true  conquerors.     For  this  is 


THE  FINAL  CONTEST  223 

the  victory  that  conquers  the  world,  even  faith.    And  he  that 
ruleth  his  own  spirit  is  greater  than  he  that  taketh  a  city. 

The  City  into  which  the  heroes  enter  is  the  City  for  which 
Abraham  looked,  it  is  the  new  Jerusalem  that  will  not  pass 
away. 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUi!  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW 

AN  INITIAL  FINE  OF  25  CENTS 

WILL  BE  ASSESSED   FOR   FAILURE  TO   RETURN 
THIS   BOOK  ON   THE   DATE   DUE.   THE   PENALTY 
WILL  INCREASE  TO  50  CENTS  ON  THE  FOURTH 
DAY    AND    TO    $1.00    ON    THE    SEVENTH     DAY 
OVERDUE. 

AP'i    S    1943 

270nt'63lW 

open  1  o 

r(E.*>«  U  L.LJ 

OCT  13*63 -1PM 

m!^z^'9fi 

^      ^1 

Jits*.   WiU.    'Mo         V!?i 

* 

1 

LD  21-100r/i-7.'39(402s) 

V^         I    V-/v^V^    I 


'il  i.'liiii,' 

mm  u 


li-rij/iiR,   . 


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